The beloved dolphin, Winter, best known for starring in the movie 'Dolphin Tale' has sadly passed away. Necropsy results reported that the cause was tangled intestines. Winter was a true light to both children and adults with absent limbs.
The dolphin lost her tail after she got stuck in a crab trap. In 2005 she was saved by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. The aquamarine took care of Winter, they noticed she was swimming with her side flippers and planned to provide her with a prosthetic tail. Because, if she continued moving in that way, it would've caused severe bone damage. So, the aquarium teamed up with one of the US's largest suppliers for prosthetics, Hanger, Inc. After trial and error, they realized a soft silicone-like sleeve would be the safest way to attach the tail without harming her skin. The prosthetic tail could now easily be put on Winter without hurting her. Luckily it was a success, Winter was finally able to swim with a tail. And the new creation of the sleeve, known as WintersGel, helped hundreds of people get their own prosthetics. Skin sores basically stopped happening because of how smooth the sleeve was.
Winter made headlines in 2011 when she was the star of Dolphin Tale, the film was actually inspired by Winters's real life. It's about a young boy, Sawyer, that finds and rescues an injured dolphin. The two of them bond and a friendship is formed. The plot thickens when the aquarium suffers damage from a hurricane and they must find new homes for all the animals. Winter ends up being the only one that gets to stay with Sawyer and his cousin, Kyle, who also had a limb amputated. The movie quickly became popular and received incredibly good reviews. The famous dolphin helped people with disabilities become more represented in media. Many fans even went to visit Winter just to see her glory in person.
Unfortunately, the dolphin has lost her life, due to her intestines reportedly becoming twisted. It was too far of an area to reach and fix with surgery. "Because of Winter’s injury and the distortion it caused in her body, she was more prone to facing health complications since her rescue 16 years ago," explained the statement given by the aquarium.
We won't' forget how inspiring Winter was to hundreds of disabled children. Her memory will persist.
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