Dive Into Your Imagination

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!

After Pete passed away, I underwent a 72-hour quarantine period before I transitioned to working with Moonshine and Harley, Mote's two resident dolphins. This quarantine period is important to prevent any diseases sick animals may have from being transferred to the animals that live at Mote permanently. Moonshine and Harley have conditions that have deemed them unreleasable by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service). Neither can be returned to the wild due to extenuating circumstances and continual health ailments. Instead, Mote trainers feed and care for these wonderful animals in addition to providing a variety of activities to enrich their lives at Mote.

Please allow me to introduce you to Moonshine and Harley!

Moonshine is a male pan-tropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), estimated to be between 6 and 9 years of age. In 2003, he was found beached in the Florida Keys. Although we don't know exactly why Moonshine stranded, he did suffer a terrible sunburn while stranded on the beach. After several months of treatment at other rehab facilities in South Florida, he was transferred to Mote for ongoing care. It was determined that Moonshine had a chronic, or ongoing, liver condition (a consequence of the stranding) deeming him unreleasable by the federal authorities. Currently, we track Moonshine's health by checking his blood work every month and giving him the necessary medication that he would obviously not be able to receive in the wild.

Harley is a female long-snouted spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), estimated to be around 4 years old. When she was just a calf, Harley was found stranded in Texas, abandoned or orphaned by her mother for some unknown reason. A Texas rehabilitation center cared for Harley initially, and because she was too young to fend for herself in the wild and had not learned important survival skills from her mother, it was determined that she could not be released to the wild. Dolphin mothers teach their young many vital behaviors, including how to catch and find prey, and how to avoid predators. While people can teach young dolphins some helpful skills, we cannot teach all of the lessons dolphins need to know in order to survive in the wild.

Moonshine and Harley were brought together because they share the same genus: Stenella. In fact, the two species are very social and have been known to socialize in the wild. Harley was transferred to Mote in 2004 to join Moonshine in Mote Aquarium's dolphin lagoon. Today, Mote visitors can watch Harley and Moonshine's behaviors and feeding sessions. This is a very special treat and great opportunity for Aquarium visitors to learn about these dolphins, especially because these two species are usually found far offshore in deeper waters!

During each feeding session, Moonshine and Harley participate in training activities that include behaviors that allow the animals to participate in their own medical care (in the zoo and aquarium world this is referred to as "husbandry"). The dolphins are also provided with "toys" or what we call environmental enrichment devices (EEDs). Many of the training behaviors help our animal care team take care of the animals. For instance, Petra, Mary and Cris, Mote's dolphins trainers, are currently practicing a behavior that will allow the trainers to "ask" Moonshine or Harley to swim into a sling that can be used to weigh them. Another hand signal asks the dolphins to flip onto their backs in the water and offer their flukes to a trainer. Practicing these behaviors allows the dolphins to feel more comfortable during medical examinations. On top of these medical behaviors, the dolphins are also asked to spin (in Harley's case) and jump to keep active, just like we would exercise to stay healthy.

On Thanksgiving morning, I was greeted by the smiling faces of Mary and Cristiane (Cris). My 72-hour quarantine was over, and I was now allowed to work with the resident dolphins. Would I dress out in my wet suit to help with the morning feeding session? Yes!!! I ran to the locker room to suit up, energized and excited to meet Moonshine and Harley!

Check back next week to read about Rebecca's experience working with Moonshine and Harley!

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