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| About
the Dolphin Research Center In
addition to maintaining the best possible environment for the dolphins
and sea lions at the Center, we also dedicate ourselves to assisting
marine mammals in distress in the surrounding waters of the Keys.
For decades, DRC operated as the Southernmost member of the Marine
Mammal Stranding Network. We rescued and rehabilitated whales and
dolphins, providing expert medical attention to help ease the way
for our marine friends from the wild. The rescue and rehabilitation
procedures provided us with in To reach as many people as possible, the Center provides a variety of educational programs that allow the public a chance to learn firsthand about the world of the dolphin. Dolphins have been fascinating people for thousands of years. We are charmed by their beauty and grace, and drawn by an elusive sense of their intelligence. They have found their way into our history, art, mythology, and literature. In recent times, dolphins have begun to emerge from their shroud of legend as we learn more about their very real (and no less fascinating) capabilities and needs.
The
Dolphin Child Department offers dolphin-assisted therapy and recreational
programs for individuals and small groups. The results are carried
over into school, home and community. DRC's commitment to providing
life enhancing dolphin experiences to adults and children
with special needs, illnesses, and disabilities,
touch families from all over the world. Our dolphin interactions
act as therapeutic adjuncts, serve as agents of change, and represent
contacts with nature, as well as increase the capacity for enjoyment
through the Dolphin Child Therapy Program and the Special Needs
Recreational Program.
Photos courtesy Dolphin Research Center Dolphin
Journeys for Deaf Children is dedicated to providing
opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing children to have contact with, learn
about, and safely swim with dolphins, in a supportive, loving atmosphere. |
Dolphin
Research Center (DRC) is a not-for-profit education and research
facility, home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California
sea lions. Over half of our family was born at the Center, while
the other members either have come to us from other facilities or
were collected long ago by previous management.
valuable
opportunities for critical research and data collection. DRC extended
its rescue commitment to include the endangered manatee and is currently
the only facility in the Florida Keys licensed by the Federal Government
to assist manatees in distress. 
The
history of research in the field of marine mammals is short: only
about forty years. This barely covers a single dolphin's lifetime.
The relatively little that is known about marine mammals hints at
a wealth of knowledge relevant to our shared future on this planet.
At the Dolphin Research Center, we are dedicated to learning from
and about dolphins, and teaching what we know, for the mutual benefit
of both species.