RIP Winter the Bottlenose Dolphin

One of our daughters texted us the bad news over night: Winter the Dolphin, star of 'Dolphin Tale', dies at 16, Bay News 9, by Cait McVey.

Winter captured the hearts of everyone with her story of the heroic efforts to save her life through a prosthetic fin. Winter the Dolphin made headlines national headlines in 2005 when she was rescued off the Florida coast and taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. She was severely injured when she became entangled in a crab trap line. She later went on to star in the 2011 move Dolphin Tale. A very moving movie. This is not the ending that we hope for Winter. 

RIP Winter. 

The official statement from Clearwater Aquarium:

With heavy hearts, Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced tonight that Winter the Dolphin died at approximately 8 p.m. as animal care experts from around the country worked to treat her gastrointestinal abnormality. The CMA family is devastated.

During preparation for a procedure, the CMA Animal Care team observed that Winter’s behavior and vital signs were declining. The medical team tried several life-saving efforts, but she died being held by her caregivers.

“While we are heartbroken by Winter’s death, we are comforted knowing that our team did everything possible to give her the best chance at survival. We worked with specialists and marine mammal experts from around the country to provide her with the best care available. Our staff worked around the clock during this challenging time,” said Veterinarian Dr. Shelly Marquardt, DVM, CVA. “I’m honored to work alongside such dedicated and talented professionals who gave their all for Winter.”

The CMA team expresses our deepest gratitude to the thousands of people from around the world who sent caring messages for Winter. She truly inspired hope and was loved by millions of people worldwide.

Winter, we love you.

CMA will be closed on Friday to provide time for our staff to grieve. A grief counselor will be made available to the team.

Plans for a memorial for Winter, honoring the positive impact she made on the world, will be announced soon.

With heavy hearts, CMA announced tonight that Winter the Dolphin died at approximately 8 p.m. as animal care experts from around the country worked to treat her gastrointestinal abnormality. The CMA family is devastated.

Read more: https://t.co/23pbetCu1l pic.twitter.com/39KUcf2jpv

— Clearwater Aquarium (@CMAquarium) November 12, 2021