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CMA celebrates ‘Rescue Days’ weekend
Regina Gonzalez reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Clearwater Marine Aquarium held its annual rescue days this weekend to give the community a chance to learn about the animals it has saved and meet with a variety of rescue groups.
Brittany Baldrica has a decade of working with marine animals under her belt and has been a senior rescue biologist for Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a year.
In that short time, she's already been a part of several lifesaving missions that she'll never forget.
"In July, we rescued a dolphin calf from a crab trap under pier 60 in Clearwater Beach," Baldrica recalled." "The most memorable thing about it was the collaboration, we were able to rescue the animal and bring him off the beach and he is doing very well at SeaWorld."
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Baby dolphin rescued from Clearwater Beach to call SeaWorld home
The young dolphin that was found tangled in a crab trap on Clearwater Beach is now doing well. It first arrived at SeaWorld in critical condition, making the first 24 hours vital for its survival. However, without a pod or a mother, it would be dangerous to return it to the wild. So, it will live out its days at the Orlando park, where a dolphin nursery is located.
CMA’s Rescue Days were held on a special anniversary.
On December 10, 2005, Winter the Dolphin, who was made famous by the Dolphin Tale movie was rescued from a Florida lagoon. Five years later, on December 11, 2010, crews rescued Hope, the star of Dolphin Tale 2 from the Indian River lagoon.
READ: 14 years later, Winter the dolphin reunited with fisherman who found her
Winter passed away in November 2021, but Hope is still at the facility.
Brittany Baldrica works with one of CMA's rescued dolphins.
Baldrica explained that, if a rescued animal can't be released back into the ocean onsite, she and her team transport them to their facilities and care for them before a series of tests will determine if the animal is capable of surviving in the wild and can go back, should get moved to another facility, or can stay at CMA.
"Sometimes I think people think that we're just an aquarium and then they come here and speak to our volunteers and our staff and interns they learn that we're a working animal hospital,' Baldrica explained. "So the animals that are here are here for a reason, they're here because they were either impacted by humans or they're here because they couldn't survive for one reason or another in the wild."
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Winter the dolphin leaves legacy of hope
Winter the dolphin has passed away at the age of 16 after years of inspiring others who have prosthetic limbs like her. Clearwater Marine Aquarium officials say she'd been battling a gastrointestinal infection.
Events like CMA's 'Rescue Days' weekend are an opportunity for guests to learn why those animals are there.
Not only did they get to chat with CMA rescue biologists like Baldrica, but several other Bay Area organizations including Owl's Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife and Moccasin Lake Raptor Sanctuary.
A child interacts with a dolphin during CMA's Rescue Day weekend.
People could rescue animals onsite. Kittens and dogs were up for adoption through the SPCA Tampa Bay and Suncoast Animal League.
Guardian Ad Litem and Gulf Coast JFCS Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco also had information tables to discuss their efforts to help children in foster care.
LINK: Click here to learn more about Clearwater Marine Aquarium's rescue team efforts.