CMA dolphin death investigations finds staff did nothing wrong

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Clearwater Marine Aquarium shared a report Thursday, detailing the results of an independent investigation into the deaths of four dolphins in 19 months.

The aquarium commissioned a panel of five experts to determine whether staff or conditions at the facility contributed to the deaths in any way.

"It's absolutely natural for all of us to question not only ourselves but each other," said Kelly Martin, CMA's Vice President of Zoological Care. "The experience of the loss or a loss in general is devastating. Having multiple losses in a row is, to say the least, heartbreaking for the team."

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Experts investigating the four dolphin deaths found that CMA staff did nothing wrong.

Winter the Dolphin, whose story and prosthetic tail was immortalized in the movie Dolphin Tale, was the first to pass away in November 2021. Three more dolphins died in the months that followed.

The panel determined CMA staff did everything they could to care for the animals and respond to their situations. Investigators also concluded there were no environmental or water quality issues.

Martin said CMA is one of the few aquariums in the U.S. that houses only sick or injured dolphins, which likely played a role in the unexpected deaths.

"Everybody here has an underlying condition similar to a hospital. Everybody is a patient," she said. "As you walk through the hospital, some patients appear to be fine while internally there are struggles, and it's our job to manage and monitor that from a behavioral and a medical perspective."

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CMA houses only sick or injured dolphins, which may have contributed to the short time between deaths. 

Investigators also included recommendations, such as refocusing the veterinary team on animal care, improving communication at the facility and with external researchers, and bringing in healthy dolphins to socialize with the rehabilitating ones.

"Socialization for these animals is so important. They're like you and I," Martin explained, adding the report also confirmed the care the dolphins received likely extended the animals' lives. "We gave to them by allowing them a second opportunity. It's time for us to give back to allow them to serve as ambassadors for the species."

During the investigation, a fifth dolphin passed away.

The dolphins ranged in ages from 9 to 51 years old, which Martin said is much older than the average life of a dolphin.