Hey there adopt-a-dolphin folks!
Looking for your dolphin's ringtone? You've come to the right place! Click on one of the below links and enter the password you received in your adoption kit. It's at the bottom of the page with your dolphin's biography.
We are super excited about our 2015 Field Course in Cetacean Ecology with Sacred Heart University. With an online component in mid-May and a 12-night field component starting 26 May at our Bimini, Bahamas field site, we know it's going to be another great experience! The deadline to apply has been extended to 5 January. Check out the Sacred Heart University page (Education menu --> College Courses --> University Partners).
If you adopt a dolphin from DCP's Adopt-A-Wild-Dolphin program or donate $25 or more between December 2nd and New Year's Day, you'll receive a link to view our brand new adopt-a-wild-dolphin slideshow (in .m4v format)!
Get the official #TeamDolphin t-shirt!
Check out our official #TeamDolphin t-shirt. We’ve launched a holiday t-shirt fundraising campaign featuring a trendy version of DCP’s dolphin logo, together with our official #TeamDolphin hashtag. The shirts are available from Bonfirefunds.com - a company that helps non-profits (like us!) raise funds. If we can pre-order 50 t-shirts by the end of the campaign, Bonfirefunds will print and ship our #TeamDolphin t-shirts to all our awesome supporters who put in an order, and send us the funds raised during the campaign.
Issue 18.4 of the Dolphin Gazette is a big news issue!
From a new mailing address to a revamped website, this issue of The Dolphin Gazette is a busy one! Kathleen fills us in on her recent trip to RIMS, holiday specials provide a do-good way to shop, Kel checks in from Bimini and more! Click here to download.
Happy November! My flight home on Saturday was uneventful, with no stop overs to Belize!
Our field session to RIMS for 2014 was a good one, but as many of you have read ... it was wet. We had rain every day, which led to less than wonderful conditions for underwater clarity. Additionally, the dolphins were in a VERY curious mood toward the camera and me. Still, I returned with just under 2.5 hours of video for processing.
I woke to what I thought was someone lightly dancing on the roof of my cabin. Nope … just more rain. It apparently rained all night but the morning was thick clouds with occasional rain – from drizzle to down pours. The sun tried to make an appearance, but failed to extend its stay. Still, I was able to collect a bit of video this morning at about 6:30 AM. Ronnie greeted me with nudges. Not the welcome I wanted, but I accepted it. Calli and Polly were enthralled with the MVA faceplate this morning.
Our last day of data collection began with more blue sky than we’ve seen all week! It was short-lived! We delayed my entry for observations until about 7:50 AM so that I’d finish up at about the time the trainers arrived for a session. Ronnie was still VERY inquisitive of me, but after a time-out session and a short “hand-to-pectoral fin” rub, he was done with the inquisitive behavior at me.
The rain was prevalent again in the evening and early morning. But the day cleared a bit in the morning and offered good underwater visibility for a session in the morning. So, my team – all early risers – and I were on the taxi boat by 6:00 AM and I was in the water by 6:10 AM. I went in from the beach rather than a platform to see if that might divert Ronnie and the attention of some of the younger dolphins.
What a way to start the field season at RIMS! Our first session began at 6:40 AM – I have four participants who are early risers like me! The underwater visibility was great and the dolphins were inquisitive and vocal and playful. It was nice to see Ritchie and Bill again and the youngsters from 2013 have grown! Calli is more raked that last year but also more rambuCallinctious! She’s the closer of the two dolphins in the photo.
The second session was of a “tandem create” training session with Hector and Han.