Dive Into Your Imagination

With a crowd of dedicated supporters and volunteers watching, Ginger returned home to Sarasota Bay on Monday after successful treatment at Mote Marine Laboratory’s Dolphin and Whale Hospital.

Ginger, the bottlenose dolphin that stranded Dec. 16, 2008, on Siesta Key, was released back to her home waters just after 8:30 a.m. The dolphin submerged after being released from the sling that had been used to carry her to the water behind Mote’s main Lab building on City Island then thrilled the crowd with four giant leaps.

“It was so great to see,” said Bijli Myers of Siesta Key, who was among the first to find Ginger when she stranded on the beach back in December. “It was like redemption — here was something that was so sick and dying. It was so great to see her come to life again. It felt like good Karma

My internship has drawn to a close, and I am very thankful for all of the experiences I have had working at Mote Marine Lab's Dolphin and Whale Hospital. For the past several months, I have risen at the crack of dawn to dedicate 40+ hours a week for a non-paid position – but all the chemical splatters, ripped jeans, and damp wetsuits have all been worth it! I met many new characters in Florida – human and sea creatures, alike. And I can say with great pride that I will remember these coworkers, friends, and animals, throughout my career.

On Tuesday morning I was greeted at work with an exciting new challenge. A bottlenose dolphin had stranded on Siesta Key beach, and it was our job to respond to the call. The other interns and I were very eager to head toward the beach to help the dolphin, and we loaded up into the truck bed of a Mote vehicle, and off we went to assist with a stranding!

Meeting Harley and Moonshine was a wonderful experience!  I was nervous at first because I did not know how Mote’s two resident dolphins would react to me as a new trainer.  But everything could not have gone more perfectly!

Thanksgiving is a day usually reserved for family, friends, and a big feast. This year, I spent the holiday at work, across the country from most of my loved ones. And although I was nostalgic for past Thanksgivings, this one turned out to be pretty special. This Thanksgiving, instead of feasting on stuffing and cranberry sauce, I fed fish to two very special dolphins: Moonshine and Harley!