DCP is pleased to announce that applications will now be accepted until 15 February 2013.

Applications for what, you say?

Our 12-night field course studying wild dolphins in Bimini, The Bahamas, that's what!

Join Sacred Heart University and DCP from 28 May - 9 June for a 200-level, 3-credit field course. With introductions to dolphin biology, behavior and photo-ID, this course includes 8 boat trips in search of Bimini's wild dolphins. During those trips, students will help search for dolphins, record sighting data and collect underwater digital photographs for DCP's photo-ID catalog. All participants must take the course for credit through SHU and can inquire with them home university about transfering these credits.

Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. But first, check out SHU's detailed webpage (at the bottom of this post) for more information, including the application:

http://www.sacredheart.edu/academics/studyabroad/studyabroadprograms/shorttermprograms/bimini/

Following from Justin's blog post on this subject, we thought it might be helpful to let students know that the journal Aquatic Mammals put together a collection of videos featuring advice to students wishing to pursue a career in marine mammal science. Over 40 if the world's leading marine mammalogists provide students with words of wisdom on how to break into the field. The full list of 40 videos can be found at this link, and includes many familiar names from the world of marine mammalogy including Bernd Würsig, Lou Herman, Karen Pryor, Randall Wells, Daniel Odell, and William Perrin. Listen to Randall Wells' sage advice in the below video to whet your appetite:

‘Tis the season for the question, “Will it arrive by Christmas?”

Orders placed directly through DCP*, with standard shipping selected, received by Wednesday 19 December at 5:00 p.m. EST should reach a US shipping address in time for Christmas. If you choose expedited shipping, you have until Friday 21 December at 5:00 p.m. EST. We cannot give shipping time estimates for international orders.

*These shipping guidelines apply to Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin and Dolphin Trading Card orders. But of course, once we drop your package to the USPS for shipping, it is literally out of our hands! So, we cannot actually guarantee delivery by a certain date. For DCP-related clothing, water bottles, stickers, etc. through CafePress, please see their specific shipping guidelines at www.cafepress.com/dcpgear.

Thank you for your support of DCP’s research and education efforts – both at holiday time and throughout the year!

2013 Field Course in Cetacean Ecology Bimini, The Bahamas

Arrive: 28 May 2013, Depart 9 June 2013

In a nutshell: Dr. Deirdre Yeater of Sacred Heart University will lead this 200-level university course at DCP’s Bimini field site. Students will gain an introduction to dolphin biology and behavior as well learn real-life research techniques while observing wild Atlantic spotted and/or bottlenose dolphins.

Included: 12 nights’ accommodation in Bimini, 8 boat trips in search of wild dolphins, 1 boat excursion to observe wild sharks and stingrays, 3 meals/day (including drinking water and boat snacks), course instruction, 3-credits from Sacred Heart University (inquire with your home university about credit transfer) and more.

Application Deadline: 21 December 2012

Cost: Approximately $4368 plus airfare

For more details please click here!

The Gazette is here! 'Tis the season for the "last of 2012"  With Black Friday shopping behind you and Cyper Monday shopping bombarding you, why not take a break with the latest issue of The Dolphin Gazette. Which section will be your favorite? Updates on the Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphins? Information on the struggling Vaquita? Or, perhaps you've only just begun your Cyber Monday shopping and will want to purchase the featured Dolphin Badge? Whatever your mood, we hope you enjoy this issue and share it with friends! Click here to download the PDF.

Researchers at DCP are regularly confronted with the harsh realities of life in the ocean for dolphin species. When we observe the wild dolphins of Bimini, we know that each individual faces daily challenges from finding enough food to fighting illness and avoiding predators. These challenges do not always result in happy endings for our dolphin friends, and many individuals – both young and old – can succumbed to disease, starvation, or predator attacks. We rarely witness the death of an individual dolphin, or stumble across dead animals in the open ocean. Often times, when we stop observing an individual dolphin during our research expeditions, we are forced to conclude that an animal might have died. But we have learned from our research throughout the world that not seeing a given individual one season doesn’t mean that individual has necessarily died. Perhaps they are simply avoiding our research boat, or maybe they’ve moved to another part of the ocean and are otherwise happy and healthy. It’s always possible that they will make an appearance again in a few years. Many of the once “lost” dolphins around our research site at Mikura island have been spotted alive and well swimming around neighboring islands. But when an animal has not been seen for two or more years at Bimini, we begin to suspect that the animal just might have passed away. 

This year, we have to step back and ask ourselves these tough questions about White Blotch (#29), Finn (#09) and Nemo (#78). None of these individuals was seen in 2011 or 2012. It is entirely possible that they have either died, or left the Bimini area forever. For this reason, we are removing them from our Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin roster.   

Current adoptive parents will continue to have the option to renew their adoptions of these three individuals; however, we will not issue adoption kits for new supporters. Because we cannot update the adoption kits with new photos, video or sighting details, it would be unfair of us to continue to sell their kits. Although we suspect we have seen Vincent (#11) and JoAnne (#86) in recent years, we will also suspend new adoptions of them as well since, for the second year in a row, we do not have new photos or video to share with their adoptive parents. 

As DCP supporters and Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin parents, we encourage you to use this update as an opportunity to contemplate the realities of life in the wild for dolphins and other animals, and how difficult it is for researchers to really know what happens to our dolphin friends under the waves. Dolphins are but one fragile strand in the beautiful and complex web of nature, and like all living beings that call this web home, a dolphin’s life story has a beginning, middle, and end. But don’t lose hope just yet – we can’t say for certain just where we are when it comes to the story of White Blotch, Finn, Nemo, Vincent, or JoAnne! We will continue to look for all of our catalogued dolphins, and we’ll be the first to let you know if these “missing” individuals should suddenly re-appear!

It's here! It's here!

The latest issue of The Dolphin Gazette is ready for your reading! We hope you enjoy reading about our upcoming RIMS eco-tour, our busy Bimini season, reflections from our interns and more! Click here to download the PDF. And remember to share it with your friends and tell us what you think on Facebook!

Thanks for your support,

DCP

DCP is pleased to announce the publication of the following article:

Vaughn-Hirshorn, R., Hodge, K.B., Wursig, B., Sappenfield, R.H., Lammers, M.O., Dudzinski, K.M. (2012). Characterizing dusky dolphin sounds from Argentina and New Zealand. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 132(1): 498-506. Visit http://asadl.org/jasa or contact DCP to request a PDF.

Congratulations to Robin and all the co-authors!

This just in from our friends at the United States Geological Survey (USGS): "Harold," the manatee who visited Bimini in 08/09 and was subsequently relocated to Florida, was seen in the St. Marks, FL area by the USGS Sirenian Project in June - he's looking good! His distinct scar patterns will allow researchers to recognize him in the years to come. Thanks for the update USGS!

Click here to see the citation for our 2011 publication on Harold. You can visit the Aquatic Mammals website or contact us for a PDF.

DCP is pleased to announce two more opportunities to join us at our Bimini, Bahamas field site. Email us for more details.

10 - 15 June 2012: Join Daisy Kaplan and DCP's own Kel Sweeting for a 5-night, 5-dolphin trip, fully catered session. If you are not taking the course for credit, you can join as many or as few of the daily lectures as you like. Click here for more details.

5 - 10 August 2012: For those of you looking to stay in vacation mode, join this Bimini Adventures package. Right now, they need 3 more partipants for it to be a fully catered week. Otherwise, the package will still include 5 nights' accommodation and 5 dolphin trips. Click here for more details.

The latest issue of The Dolphin Gazette is here! Get the lowdown on the University of New Brunswick Saint John's visit to Bimini. Dr. Rebecca Singer explains why dolphins seem to have a hard time with the object permanence test. Learn how you can join DCP at Anthony’s Key resort at Roatan, Honduras this coming January. And learn how Kelly Melillo-Sweeting temporarily retired her dolphin-watching binoculars to go chase manatees at Great Harbour Cay.

Click here to download the second issue of 2012!

Who: You! Join DCP on a trip to Roatan led by Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski. Each trip accommodates up to 12 participants. *Please note: children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian - absolutely no exceptions!!
Where: Anthony's Key Resort, Roatan, Honduras
When: 5-12 January 2013 (Contact us for the most up-to-date information regarding space availability!)
Cost: $1,765 per person per week (Returning DCP participants will receive a $75 discount on their trip fee.)

For more details, including the full list of what's included, click here.

A 25% deposit will be needed to hold your space on the trip. The payment schedule for the remainder will be determined. Recieve a ~3% discount if you pay by US check or money order. Note: a portion of your ecotour trip fee may be tax-deductible. Consult your tax advisor for more details.

The latest issue of The Dolphin Gazette is here! This issue has a decidedly shark-like flavor to it, including a special column written by shark expert Stephen Turnbull. Sharks and dolphins are, of course, not usually the best of friends, and are not particularly closely related as far as taxonomy goes. But, you'd be surprised how easy it can be to confuse the two in the wild. Can you tell the difference between the shark and the dolphin dorsal fins in the below images? For answers as to which is which, check out page 10 of the Dolphin Gazette!

Click here to download the first issue of 2012!

Join DCP in Bimini! The next Bimini Eco-Tour has been scheduled. We hope to see you there!

Field Internship Summer 2012

When: June - August 2012
Status: Open
Application Deadline: February 8, 2012

DCP is now accepting applications for our summer field internship positions. Field internships, which include 3 - 4 weeks at our Bimini, Bahamas field site, also require 6 - 8 weeks of training and work at our Connecticut (CT), USA office. You can find more details about our program by clicking here.

Note: All applicants must be 18 years of age. Although international applicants are invited to apply, all applicants should know that interns are responsible for their own daily transportation to/from the CT office and public transportation is not available in this area; therefore all interns have their own vehicles while in CT. All application materials must be submitted electronically. No hard copies will be accepted. Please submit all materials together, with the exception of letters of recommendation, which may be sent separately. Phone or Skype interviews for selected applicants will be scheduled beginning 6 March 2012.

Adopt Tina for $35 for a full year and receive a copy of the children's book Pearl the Pink Dolphin. Pearl is a children's fairy tale written by Tony Guzzi and illustrated by Tom Guzzi of Guzzi Studios. The story focuses on a young dolphin named Pearl who, unlike her friends and family, is born pink instead of gray. Pearl changes her looks to fit in, only to find she was liked for who she already was. Click here for more details!

Supplies of "Pearl the Pink Dolphin" are limited, so this offer is only good while supplies last. Order yours today!

DCP is pleased to offer two different university-level field courses in 2012. Which one is right for you?

Ethological Studies – Marine & Terrestrial:
Field dates: 20 – 31 May
Remote learning dates: 1 – 11 June
Cost: $2,450 (does not include tuition or airfare to Fort Lauderdale, FL)

This exciting field course, taught in conjunction with Georgetown College, will explore topics including operant conditioning, social behavior, learning, mirror recognition and more. Interactions with wild dolphins off Bimini, Bahamas as well as dolphins at Dolphin Encounters (Nassau, Bahamas) will provide opportunities for real-life observations and illustrations of course topics. For more information on this course, click here.

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Field Course in Cetacean Ecology
Field dates: 30 May – 11 June
Remote learning dates: 21 – 29 May and 12 – 18 June
Cost: $4,270 (Includes 3 credit hours tuition, but does not include airfare to Bimini, Bahamas)

Our second and equally exciting course will be led by Sacred Heart University and provide an introduction to dolphin biology and behavior as well as research techniques such as photo-identification of individuals. The wild dolphins off Bimini, The Bahamas will be your study subjects, with students having the opportunity to collect and ID photographs, contributing to DCP’s long-term photo-ID catalog. For more information on this course, click here.

After reading this issue of The Dolphin Gazette, you'll feel up to date on all of our research in The Bahamas - at Dolphin Encounters and off Bimini. You'll feel confident telling your co-workers about the SM2M, and you'll be telling every college student you know to sign up for our May field course. The list goes on, but it's probably better if you go ahead and read it yourself. Then forward it to all of your friends.

Click here to download the final issue of 2011!
 

It's official folks, ID#094 has a name: Noodle! "Noodle" is the independent offspring of White Blotch (#29) and was seen several times during this past summer. And now, you can be one of the first to adopt Noodle, just click here! Your adoption kit includes a personalized adoption kit, photos and biography of Noodle, DVD of Bimini dolphins, including Noodle, and much more. All for just $30!

Noodle was named by DCP supporter (and Kel's dad), Dave Melillo.