Dolphin Life

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.

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. 🩷🐬👑

We're back with some more Pod Premiere Week highlights 🐬- and today's introduction is quite special.

Aries (or as we call him "A-Train") is a 23-year-old, incredibly smart dolphin.

A few months before coming to Dolphin Life, Aries lost his vision in both eyes, and while we don’t know exactly what caused the vision loss, we do know it has changed how he experiences the world.

When Aries first arrived, he did so in a group of dolphins he had lived with for years. At first, that familiarity helped him settle into his new home. But as dolphins do, the social dynamic eventually shifted, and Aries found himself pushed out of that group. We stepped in right away and began carefully adjusting his social environment so he could rebuild confidence and find a group where he felt comfortable again.

After some trial and learning, Aries has recently found a really positive dynamic living with Ringo, Zoe, and Dinghy (who also happens to have visual impairment). In this group, we’re seeing Aries’ personality shine again. He’s playing more, socializing more confidently, and truthfully - running his lagoon.

Because Aries is blind, he needs some extra care and attention as he continues adjusting to his new life, so we have a very small team of caregivers focusing closely on making sure his environment, training, and social experiences help him succeed. If there’s one thing that team will tell you, it’s that they’ve completely fallen in love with Aries’ spirit.

When Aries decides he’d rather do his own thing - or own version of something we’ve asked him - he does so with no hesitation. This dolphin will go CONFIDENTLY in the opposite direction, which we can’t help but appreciate and admire. This independent spirit is part of what makes him so special.

Every day we learn more about what Aries needs and how to best support him, and every day we’re seeing more confidence, more curiosity, and more of the bold personality that his former caregivers always described.

We've got two more dolphins to introduce you to this week, and then you can look forward to future Aries updates as his journey at Dolphin Life unfolds. ♈️🐬🫶