STORIES
Animal
DONATE

Winter

by Audrey

Winter (www.wallpeer.com)
Winter (www.wallpeer.com)

 Winter was three months old when she was found in Mosquito Lagoon, south of New Smyrna in December of 2005. Her tail was caught up in a crab trap line. Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescued her and bandaged up her tail. When the veterinarians closely inspected her, they concluded that her tail needed to be amputated. When they amputated her tail, Winter learned to swim by moving her tail in a side to side motion, but the motion was causing stress on her spine. The movement could eventually kill her or damage her spine very badly. 

Kevin Carroll, an expert with prosthetics, decided to fit Winter with a prosthetic tail. The experts at CMA (Clearwater Marine Aquarium) found that training her to let them put the prosthetic on her was quite easy. Her trainers slipped the sleeve onto her fluke. The sleeve was very form fitting and made out of a gel like material. Dolphins have very sensitive skin and it can be very hard to find a substance that doesn't bother their skin. This gel material was the perfect solution. 

  Without the prosthetic Winter wouldn't have survived. She wouldn't have been able to swim, but thanks to the prosthetic she is able to swim and move around just like a normal dolphin. The prosthetic replaced the tail that had to be amputated. This was like getting a whole new tail except that it wasn't a tail made out of skin and bones. 

 

  Today Winter is a happy, healthy dolphin and is still living at the Clearwater Marine Veterinary Hospital. The people there understand her and her needs. Winter is a very good example of a determined animal that was determined to live a happy life with no pain.  

   I chose Winter because I feel that she is a strong animal and she was determined to live. She was determined to keep on going with her life even through the pain. As an example of her determination Winter came up with the side to side motion even though it probably hurt her. she was determined to be able to swim like a normal dolphin. This is why I chose Winter as my hero. 

Page created on 1/30/2014 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 1/30/2014 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.