Dolphin Life

Saturday, May 30, 2026 -- Dolphin Life received the first report of a floating whale carcass on the Atlantic side near Grassy Key Flats, south of Duck Key, the evening of Saturday, May 30, 2026. At daybreak on May 31, primary responders from Dolphin Life located the carcass and loaded the 503cm (16.6 ft) long whale onto their transport trailer. They transported and delivered the animal to Denise Boyd and her team at FWC's Port Charlotte facility later that afternoon.

The animal was identified as a very rare, adolescent male True's Beaked Whale. This is only the second True's Beaked Whale that Dolphin Life staff have encountered in 36 years. The True's Beaked Whale is one of the most data deficient species on the planet. The study of this animal and its necropsy results will be a significant contribution to the scientific community. Dolphin Life is proud to have been a part of this contribution.

Dolphin Life appreciates the partnership and teamwork demonstrated by all involved in this response and transport, and would like to thank FWC and NMFS, Denise Boyd and her team at FWC's Port Charlotte facilities, as well as local community members who helped recover the carcass. For more information about supporting our organization and the stranding response team in the Keys through donation and volunteering, please visit our website at www.dolphinlife.org/support

Some duos just make sense. 🐬🐬

Dolphin Life is growing, evolving, and having a whole lot of fun doing it... and we’re ready to welcome some new faces into the pod! We’re hiring Dolphin Life Coaches, Ente-trainers, and Dreammakers to help turn purpose into play at Dolphin Life.

Curious what your life could look like here? Check out the position details and application instructions at:
dolphinlife.org/careers

P.S. We’ll be interviewing on a rolling basis and may fill roles early, so if this feels like your thing…don’t wait too long to jump in.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS IN THE POD:
Head Coach & Chief Innovation Officer Hunter Kinney 🐬

This weekend we are celebrating 🎉 a career milestone — 10 years of dedication, imagination, ambition, passion, and leadership, for our head of animal care and development, Hunter!

Join us in congratulating Hunter on 10 years of devotion, perseverance, ingenuity, friendship, and laughs! We are so grateful for his commitment and leadership! 🩷

Today is a hard day for our Dolphin Life family.

Nearly 16 years ago - long before Dolphin Life had its name - a sweet soul entered the world, and our hearts, for the first time. From the very beginning, Zoe did things her own way. Dolphins are almost always born flukes first, but Zoe came into the world facing forward (which should have been our first clue that she was going to be something truly special).

Zoe was born to Jessica (our watchful "helicopter" mom) who, alongside her caretakers, helped guide Zoe through more than her fair share of health challenges early on in life. Once she was a little more independent, Zoe spent some time growing up down the road at Dolphins Plus before returning home in the summer of 2023. Over these past few years, we’ve watched Zoe grow into herself and become more confident while still holding onto the same gentle, sweet nature she was born with.

We always share how each dolphin is unique, and Zoe was an animal that required time to get to know and understand. Her uniqueness demanded her caregivers put in their time building a friendship, getting to know her quirks, and earning her trust. But once established, Zoe’s loyalty was evident and you could truly understand just how special she was. Around here, she was our “princess” and everyone who knew her would agree… she absolutely earned her crown.

It’s hard to put into words just what she meant to us, and it’s with very heavy hearts that we share Zoe passed away earlier today.

For the past six weeks, Zoe has been under the constant care of our team and an incredible group of marine mammal veterinarians. What began as a gastrointestinal infection and pancreatitis - conditions she had bravely overcome before - developed into something much more rare: an immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, a condition almost never seen in bottlenose dolphins.

In the last week, Zoe was feeling much better and our team found hope. Her bloodwork was improving alongside her appetite, her energy was returning, and the lovable personality we all adored was shining through again. Her care team and veterinarian believed she was on the up and up. But overnight, things changed.

This morning, when she began showing signs that something wasn’t right, our team responded immediately to gather diagnostics, deliver care, and doing anything possible to help Zoe, but sadly she passed naturally in the arms of the people who loved her the most.

We are heartbroken.

At the same time, we are taking some comfort in knowing that her recent progress showed resolve for her previous conditions and that Zoe was given everything possible to help her recover. Her decline was sudden and unexpected, and it appears it may have been something we could not have changed. In the next 24 hours, Zoe will receive a full necropsy (animal autopsy) by a board-certified pathologist to determine the cause of her rapid decline.

We know so many of you loved her in your own way. She left her “fluke print” on so many hearts, a mark that’s impossible to erase.

Zoe, you will always be our pink princess. What an honor it was to have cared for you. 🩷🐬👑

Saturday, March 7, 2026 – Local fishing guides notified authorities of 12 Short Finned Pilot whales in shallow waters approximately four miles off Key West near Mule Key in the early morning hours. Dolphin Life Rescue Team leads Art Cooper and Steve McCulloch were mobilized and a multi-agency coordinated effort ensued. Partners from FWC, NMFS, DEP, FKMS, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Key West Police Marine Resource Officer, the team from Honest Eco marine tours, and local fishing guides familiar with the shallow waters assisted in a response.

The animals were spread over three islands and over 12 square miles. Key West Police provided a 24’ flats skiff to maneuver the shallows. Upon arrival at the stranding site, three animals were confirmed deceased – a mother and calf, and a large adult. The remaining nine animals were spread across the large area. Some animals were stranded, and some were moving back-and-forth between stranded animals, unsure of how to leave the area with the complex surrounding set of flats and small channels to exit. Of the 12 reported animals, ultimately five perished, five were able to swim off on their own, and two large live animals were righted and relocated by the rescue team.

The two animals that were righted by the team were relocated using lifting straps and walked long distances to navigable channels to be gently hip-towed alongside the flats boat out to deep water where they were released. Each animal was followed at a distance until they swam off independently into deep water. The rescue team was able to obtain biological samples from one of the deceased animals late in the afternoon. On Sunday morning, a report came in from a helicopter tour operator flying over the Mule Key area that 11 to 12 animals were seen swimming in the same area at high tide. A second observation via boat and flight four hours later determined no animals were seen.

Dolphin Life appreciates the partnership and teamwork demonstrated by all involved this weekend in this mass stranding, and would like to thank the local, state, and federal agencies, as well as local fishing guides and volunteers. For more information about supporting our organization and the stranding response team in the Keys through donation and volunteering, please visit our website at www.dolphinlife.org/support

For the final introduction of our Pod Premiere Week 🐬, we're introducing you to Skye, the only female of the Miami dolphins to join our pod.

Skye is a 28-year-old with a whole lot of personality. Around here, she’s known for her beautiful eyes that always seem to be watching (some say judging) everything going on around her. In a lagoon that has quite a few boys, Skye holds her own just fine. She’s confident, a little sassy, and very aware that ladies run the world (especially in Skye's world).

She arrived with the nickname “Skye Bird” (or simply “Birdie”), but since settling into her new life in the Keys — and putting on a healthy 40 pounds — the team has lovingly added another nickname to the list:

🍩 Donut 🩵🩵

We promise it’s said with a lot of affection 🫶

Skye has adapted quickly to her new life in the Keys. She's a very confident animal most of the time, but when it comes to participating in a blood draw, we see the more timid - equally as expressive - version of Skye. Her new caregivers are spending a lot of time working on building up her confidence here, and the progress has become evident in the past few weeks!

Skye is bold, expressive, a little stubborn in the best way, and has quickly become one of the biggest personalities in the pod.

Now that you've met all six new members of the Dolphin Life pod, we hope you've fallen in love with the mission you're supporting by being here. ❤️ Our mission is to improve the lives of dolphins (and whales) - both in our care and in the wild. Opening our lagoons and our hearts to these six animals was a huge step forward for that mission, so thanks for standing behind us and empowering us to make a difference both now and into the future for other dolphins than need our help. 🐬 🐬🐬

And just so you know.. you're almost* as awesome as these dolphins. 😉

Today’s Pod Premiere Week 🐬 dolphin is known as "Mr. Reliable" — and he’s quite the charming gentleman.

At 32 years old, Ripley is the eldest of the dolphins who joined us from Miami. He’s a little short and stout in stature, but what he lacks in height he more than makes up for in personality.

Ripley is well known for his ability to catch the attention of the ladies in his lagoon with some pretty… let’s say “elaborate” displays — especially when Skye (an old friend) or our very own Dinghy are nearby.

He’s also mastered the art of charming visitors. If you ever feel like a dolphin is giving you those classic “puppy dog” eyes from across the lagoon, chances are it’s Ripley. And yes… he’s very good at getting the attention he’s asking for.

While Ripley has a bit of an old soul about him, he’s also quite the athlete. In fact, he knows more aerial behaviors than any of the other dolphins in our pod and is always happy to show them off whenever given the opportunity.

Over the past few months Ripley has met and lived with all of the dolphins in our pod, but the bond that can’t seem to be broken is the one he shares with Onyx. The two are practically inseparable — and when they’re working together, they’re kind of the all-stars of the day. It’s pretty magical to watch.

Since arriving in the Keys, we’ve watched Ripley grow more confident, more socially bold, and more willing to step forward and take his place in the group.

And somewhere along the way, he’s definitely taken a place in our hearts. ❤️