May & June 2026 Edition

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By: Chris Faber, Jessica Massie, Victoria Matter (Animal Care & Training Staff), Sheri Pieloch (Volunteer Resources Coordinator) with photos by Cole Griffith (Visual Communications)

Pod Updates

Ace - Ace and Baby have been getting along great and have been enjoying taking very long naps in the sun.
Aleta - In true maternal fashion, Tursi and Aleta have watched multiple generations of dolphins grow up, alongside generations of humans. They even recently got to play with the granddaughters of DRC’s Dolphin Research Center founder, Mandy.
Atocha -  Atocha and Cacica have had a great time together as a twosome, but were thrilled to join a larger pod again. Even with friends, these two peas in a pod are always swimming together. 
Baby - Ace and Baby have been getting along great and have been enjoying taking very long naps in the sun.
Blue- Recently, Blue has been walking around with his trainers with music playing and some guests have even joined in to dance a little. Blue was dancing and bobbing to the beat and had a huge audience from the guests.
Bowie -  Bowie and Gypsi have been seen swimming and shrimping together, giving Aleta a much-needed break from her duties as Mom.
Buck- Buck is working on recall with his trainers using a cowbell. While he already enjoys being near his trainers, recall helps ensure they can always get his attention. 
Cacica -  Atocha and Cacica have had a great time together as a twosome, but were thrilled to join a larger pod again. Even with friends, these two peas in a pod are always swimming together. 
Calypso- Calypso has been introduced to colorful new target poles. As with any new item, we introduced them slowly and positively. He took to the new target right away! Calypso also has lots of nicknames, and lately he’s been repeating some of them himself.
Calusa - Calusa had a great adventure to the hospital in town to get a routine, updated CT scan! 
Cane - Cane has been loving his sessions and quality time with his trainers. 
Cayo - Cayo has been loving passing off her motherly duties to Luna for periods at a time; this allows her to get more time for cuddles with her trainer friends.
Clyde - Clyde has been great getting around the pinniped house, even with his limited eyesight. He has been able to go from room to room without assistance. He enjoys being where the action is!
Delta - Delta is one of our most competitive boys for attention. If a new friend is giving Reese or another dolphin attention, Delta’s FOMO (fear of missing out) kicks in..
Diamond - Diamond and Lina have been working on a new behavior where they “wait” and then “go!”. They are doing great at picking up the concept. 
Diva - Diva and Merina have been competing for the role of Highest Diver when they are together. Diva might beat her someday, but Merina still knows how to soar. 
Flagler - Flagler has a fun time connecting with guests in dock programs. He recently spent time with some guests doing the Ultimate Trainer for the Day experience, where he did a bunch of signals with them. He showcased his choices and was great at communicating what his favorite things are with them.
Gambit -  Some skills take a while to learn, and for Gambit, that behavior is “beaching”. He still gives it his all, but he is still trying to figure out what it will take for him to be successful.
Gypsi - Bowie and Gypsi have been seen swimming and shrimping together, giving Aleta a much-needed break from her duties as Mom.
Jax - While he has lived with the boys for a while now, Ranger still wants to be right next to Jax and relies on him. If he ever thinks Jax is going to leave the pool, Ranger is right next to him, saying “not without me”. 
Lina - Diamond and Lina have been working on a new behavior where they “wait” and then “go!”. They are doing great at picking up the concept. . 
Louie - Louie has been learning his “peek” behavior! He has been enjoying waving at guests and seeing how far he can swim to give a “sneak peek” at new friends.
Luna - Luna has stepped up to babysit Morada; she has been a great cousin by teaching her how to do crowd imitations. 
Merlin - Merlin has made great progress holding objects with his feet. His trainers can now let go, and he holds them on his own. He’s even started offering his foot before being asked, showing how eager he is to learn.
Merina - Diva and Merina have been competing for the role of Highest Diver when they are together. Diva might beat her someday, but Merina still knows how to soar.
Morada - Luna has stepped up to babysit Morada; she has been a great cousin by teaching her how to do crowd imitations. 
Mr. P - Although Mr. Parrot has vision issues, he still enjoys interacting with his trainers. To help him safely engage with enrichment, his trainer made him a wooden box with raised edges so he can better sense his space while exploring outside his cage.
Pandora - Pandora and Santini love meeting new people in the encounter program. Recently they were both seen staying even after the program ended to play with the guests and keep the fun going. 
Pax - Pax was loving the Dolphin Sunset Celebration Jello party, showing off his best adlibbing moves with tail waves and all the sounds.
Rainbow - Rainbow has been enjoying foraging enrichment with her trainers. She loves exploring the aviary garden for leaves and rocks, which she uses to naturally sharpen her beak, and has also been foraging in the nearby trees.
Raleigh - Raleigh has been enjoying connecting with guests in our Behind the Scenes with Sea Lions experience. Recently, we had a young visitor who loved Raleigh so much he would roar in excitement at Raleigh, and then Raleigh would roar back each time. 
Ranger -  While he has lived with the boys for a while now, Ranger still wants to be right next to Jax and relies on him. If he ever thinks Jax is going to leave the pool, Ranger is right next to him, saying “not without me”. 
Reese -  Reese has been a crowd favorite recently, showing off his incredibly high dives and breaches. The louder the cheering, the higher his dives!
Samantha - Samantha and Windley get excited to play with their trainers in the water. They like to see which of them does the fastest dorsal pull around the lagoon.
Sandy - Sandy has been splitting his time between soaking up attention at the beach and burning some calories by showing off his belly flop. 
Santini - Pandora and Santini love meeting new people in the encounter program. Recently they were both seen staying even after the program ended to play with the guests and keep the fun going.
Speedy - The volunteers have noticed that Speedy likes music and has a particular fondness for the artist Taylor Swift.
Summer - Summer loves making friends with the guests and thrives on being noticeable. She was recently playing with guests outside of a session, and they were just fawning over her, which made her so happy.
Talon -  With summer in full swing, Talon has been getting his “beach bod” by doing his famous flipper-wiggling dives, two great forms of cardio! If you ask if he enjoys this, watch his flamboyant celebration immediately after he gets back to the dock, and you’ll be able to see for yourself. 
Tanner - Tanner is in his element, displaying his research skills to all of our Dolphin Day Campers. From showing off his eye cups to showing off dives, Tanner finds teaching thrilling.
Tursi - In true maternal fashion, Tursi and Aleta have watched multiple generations of dolphins grow up, alongside generations of humans. They even recently got to play with the granddaughters of DRC’s Dolphin Research Center founder, Mandy.
Windley -  Samantha and Windley get excited to play with their trainers in the water. They like to see which of them does the fastest dorsal pull around the lagoon. 
Ziggy - With this summer weather, Ziggy loves his cool showers. He will run (he really is pretty fast) toward the running water when we are filling his pond.

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