Sunday was a day of rest. Monday we went to the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key about 10 miles north of Marathon. The Center is a refuge for Dolphins that cannot be released into the wild either because of injuries or having been born at the center. The are in what appear to be restrictive pens but they are really not. If the dolphins, especially the males, want to visit another pen they do on a regular basis by simply pushing on the wire. The pens are connected directly to Florida Bay but the Dolphin never stray from home. During Hurricane Wilma the 10 foot surge flooded 5 feet over the pens and destroyed all the pier infrastucture. The trainers expected to have to go out and find (rescue) the 19 Dolphin. Instead amid the wreckage they found all 19 in what was left of the pens, all quite well.
Bear with me on the pictures, they are in reverse order so I will comment on them from the bottom up. (1) The dolphin love to show off as this one does as he floats by for the camara (2)&(3) The dolphins like to watch people as much as people watch them They will stay in one place for a long time and watch people watching them. (4) A beautiful peacok wandered the grounds. (5) We had dinner on the water as we waited for sunset; a good shot of Joe and Kay. (6) Finally a perfect sunset.
2 comments:
Taunting me with Dolphin photos again! Will the torture never cease?
Thanks for visiting Dolphin Research Center!
Wow, that sunset picture is gorgeous.
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