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Blog & News

A Holiday Story from Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Resident Animals Education Seasonal Updated January 8, 2019 Posted December 23, 2018

Enjoy this holiday poem highlighting our mission, our residents, and rescue stories from this year!

winter and hope dolphins with holiday animal care team


T’was the day of Winter’s Rescue, when right along the shore

A crab trap was seen, moving and moving some more;

A little dolphin was trapped, the rope wrapped ‘round her tail,

CMA helped little Winter, and she just wouldn’t fail.


Winter Rescue
Winter’s Rescue in 2005.

Winter has inspired many people to be strong

Then, in 2010, little Hope came along.

She was orphaned, needed care, and care we would lend,

And now Hope has become Winter’s very best friend.


winter and hope, dolphins
Winter and Hope.

CMA has helped rescue many animals this year,

Animals that have stranded far from us, and near!

Manatees have been trapped and needed us there,

So the team went and found them, and got them some care.


oldsmar manatee rescue
Manatee rescue in Oldsmar.

A fisher went out with hopes of a snook.

Instead, War, a turtle, took the bait and got caught on the hook.

He swallowed it more when the fisher cut the line,

But with our help, he is now doing fine.


war, sea turtle rehab
War, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in rehab.

Thelma and Louise, our nurse sharks, have grown to nine feet.

They started as pets and quickly made their tank obsolete.

Now they live here with us where they have been trained,

And with these skills, their health can be maintained.


nurse shark
Nurse shark.

Around the world there are many types of rays,

And some are found here in our local bays.

When you’re at the beach make sure to shuffle

Then you can prevent getting stung and causing a kerffufle.


stingray
Cownose stingrays.

Walle, a young otter, was raised as a kit.

To go back to the wild, he just wasn’t fit.

So he came to live with us, here at CMA

And his antics keep us smiling, every single day.


Walle, river otter
Walle the River Otter.

Spot, our tessellated moray eel,

Lives with cleaner shrimp scarlet, they have a great deal.

In this symbiotic relationship, Spot’s nice and clean

And that’s because Scarlet’s job is to preen.


spot, the eel
Spot the Eel.

Boomer is a new river otter friend for Walle

And watching these two play makes everyone Jolly!

Being this cute and active takes a lot of sleep,

So make sure you go by them and take a peek.


Boomer
Boomer the River Otter.

Now Ricky, our pelican, she’s a beautiful bird.

Raised in Cali, a movie star, I know…sounds absurd!

She can’t live in the wild, because she hasn’t the skills,

So she lives here, with us, and she gives us such thrills.


Ricky, pelican
Ricky the Pelican.

We do have a male dolphin, you might not have known…

He was rescued on Christmas, such resilience he’s shown!

He was burned by the sun when he was stranded on shore,

But he healed and grew up, and every day we love him more!


Nicholas the dolphin
Nicholas the Dolphin.

We don’t just rescue dolphins, but seahorses as well.

One seahorse was Ruffles who got washed up in Michael’s swell.

So many others have been in our care,

Like Guac, Salsa, and Cheeto who are now elsewhere.


Ruffles the Rescued Seahorse.

We have lots of turtles that live here in our place,

Mavis, from Dolphin Tale 2 – do you recognize the face?

Lots of turtles we care for, they were injured by a boat,

Air gets trapped in their shells, they can’t help it, they float!


Mavis sea turtle
Harold “Mavis” from Dolphin Tale 2.

Something left Snorkel almost beakless and blind,

So this sea turtle’s care CMA has been assigned.

The animal care team needed a new way to interact,

They used sound to be exact!


snorkel
Snorkel, a blind loggerhead sea turtle.

We use aquaponics to grow food which is wiser.

The waste from fish gets used as fertilizer

For lettuce that our rescued sea turtles eat.

The plants filter the water for the fish which is neat.


aquaponics
Aquaponics exhibit.

Our residents here get such amazing care,

They wouldn’t have survived had we not been there.

If we could have released them, we would have, with glee!

But they must live here with us, a great life for them is key.


holiday dolphin care
Holiday Animal Care.

To rescue, rehab, then release animals in need,

Is so fulfilling for us, and it’s exciting indeed.

But without you all here, we couldn’t do what we do.

We couldn’t care for our residents if it wasn’t for you!


Vet caring for rescued sea turtle in surgical suite
Vet Team treating rescued sea turtle.

We thank you for your support, and for visiting us here,

Please help us spread our message to lands far and near!

We hope you enjoy Winter’s Wonderland, that’s right,

Now happy holidays to all, and to all a good night!


dive santa with sea turtle

Enjoy this story and more holiday fun on our Sea of Lights Boat Cruise now through January 6!

Previous Post: How the New Aquaponics Exhibit Helps Provide Sustainable Food for Sea Turtles
Next Post: Spring Break Splash
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
249 Windward Passage
Clearwater, FL 33767
727-441-1790

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