Singapore—“Dolphin Tale” is one of the must-see movies of 2011, especially for those who have lost even a glimmer of hope of change for the better.
It is a heart-warming film based on a true story about human beings sharing a deep love for a bottlenose dolphin named Winter, who stars as herself. She was rescued in the Florida coast at three months of age when her tail fluke got entangled with and severely damaged by a crab trap and had to be cut. Her recovery was described as “amazing.”
It was feared that Winter’s movement of her back from side-to-side instead of the usual up-and-down manner to swim would be detrimental to her survival. Despite the odds, the steely determination of a dedicated team of biologists, a prosthetic specialist and caring humans made possible Winter’s ability to swim normally with a prosthetic tail made of silicon and plastic, making her the first dolphin to do so. Now a top crowd-drawer in the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida, Winter has inspired countless people, especially children with disabilities, to live life with hope and never to give up.
An inspiring story about lives that Winter touched involves Maja Kazazic:
“When Maja Kazazic was 16 years old and living in Bosnia during the war, she was severely injured from a motor shell rocket grenade. The six friends she was with were all killed from the grenade. After Maja had a leg removed, and was on the verge of dying from her injuries and infection, the U.S. government arranged for her to be removed secretly out of the country. She left her family and came to the United States for treatment, not knowing if she would ever see her mother, father and brother again. Undergoing rehabilitation at a hospital in Maryland, it was months before she found out that her family survived the war. Maja was eventually able to move them all to the United States. She learned English, graduated from high school and college and is now a successful business owner.
“After moving to Clearwater, Maja began coming to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and started following the story of Winter, the dolphin without a tail. She kept visiting and following Winter’s progress. She began to feel that Winter was the animal version of herself. The two had both been through traumatic injuries, lost part of themselves and had prosthetics…
“Maja decided she wanted the same doctor that Winter had and went to Hanger Prosthetics and had them make her a prosthetic leg. In another ironic twist, she uses the same type of gel in her prosthetic sleeve that was originally created for Winter. Maja now volunteers at the Aquarium once a week and truly has an amazing and inspirational story to share of how a dolphin has helped her make it through her own struggles.
“Her website is located at https://www.majakazazic.com. She also taught herself how to build websites and is now running a successful website business.” (https://www.seewinter.com/media-press/current-stories)
While watching the movie with my daughter, I could not help but remember the dolphins-and-whales case now pending before the Supreme Court. Offshore drilling for oil was allowed by then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Tañon Strait Protected Seascape in 2007 and 2008. According to Dr. Lem Aragones, the marine mammal scientist who is extensively studying the behavior and abundance of cetaceans in Tañon Strait, the strait is the migratory pathway of 14 out of 26 species of whales and dolphins in the country.
In December 2007, the affected fisherfolk and the cetaceans, represented by humans, sued the government to stop the drilling. This novel case attracted the attention of environmental law luminaries and has been presented before local, national and international conferences.
One of the issues up for decision by the High Court is whether or not whales and dolphins, represented by humans, have standing to sue. Our esteemed colleagues from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Environmental Academy, Kho Kheng Lian and Lye Lin Heng, are as excited as we all are in awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court.
The good news is there are able and courageous humans who are rescuing many Winters and other vastly threatened species in the wild. Despite the lack of resources and prioritization by local government units, except for a few, the Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network was organized to rescue stranded whales and dolphins. A workshop conducted in Subic in 2005 paved the way for its establishment through the auspices of Ocean Adventure, WIN, Sea World Busch Gardens Conservation Funds and Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resouces.
The University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology of the College of Science and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development, with the aforementioned partners, made possible public access to information about marine mammal strandings in the Philippines. The Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Database can be downloaded from the website, www.pmmsndatabase.upd.edu.ph/ where one can also report strandings.
If you find an injured or dead marine mammal in your coastal waters or on the beach, it is important to report the date, location, species, number and condition of the animals. For emergency first aid, the following guidelines are crucial:
1. APPROACH WITH CARE. To avoid injury stay away from teeth and tail.
2. PROTECT THE BLOWHOLE. This is where they breathe. Keep sand and water out of the blowhole. Do not cover or pour water into it!
3. PROTECT THE EYES.
4. SUPPORT THE ANIMAL IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. When on sand, dig holes under the fins to ease the pressure from own their weight (note: they are used to weightlessness).
5. KEEP THE ANIMAL MOIST. Spray or wet the skin to keep it cool or cover with a wet towel.
6. PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM THE SUN, WIND AND RAIN.
7. KEEP NOISE AROUND THE ANIMAL TO A MINIMUM.
8. MOVE TO A MORE PROTECTED SITE IF NEEDED AND IF POSSIBLE.
Next step is to call the hotline numbers, as follows:
For whales and dolphins: Ocean adventure: (047) 252 9000; Fax: (047) 252 5883; Text 0920 9093725
Wildlife in Need: (047) 252 8494
BFAR (Metro Manila): (02) 426 6532
Be the first to watch Dolphin Tale in your area and be prepared to experience how it feels to be a family member in this beautiful world we call our home.