Almost 50 dolphins stranded and at least 20 dead on Cape Cod beaches

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Save: Two rescued common dolphins are kept warm with blankets after beaching on a Cape Cod shore

At least 20 dolphins have died after they were washed up on several Cape Cod beaches, according to an animal welfare organization.
More than 40 dolphins have been found stranded close to the shore since Thursday and the number is likely to rise.
Kerry Branon of the International Fund for Animal Welfare says the common dolphins were found in Dennis, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet on Saturday.

Worker: The International Fund for Animal Welfare's Marine Mammal Rescue Team Manager, Katie Moore places a hand on a rescued common dolphin

Location: Between 40 and 50 dolphins have been found stranded close to shores near Cape Cod, Massachusetts

She says of the 28 to 30 dolphins found, 10 to 12 have died and eight were inaccessible to rescuers. They later died.
Almost 20 dolphins have been saved.
She told CNN: 'It may not sound like a high success rate, but when you consider that 27 were alive when they washed up, I think we're doing pretty well.'
The dolphins are two of at least 28 dolphins that stranded along Cape Cod Bay's shores from Dennis to Wellfleet.

Rescue: Four common dolphins wait to be released back into Cape Cod Bay, just some of 30 stranded along Cape Cod Bay's shores from Dennis to Wellfleet


Precaution: A rescued common dolphin is given a hearing test before being released back into Cape Cod Bay. Some of the dolphins were also tagged

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The uplifting tail of the dolphin taught to swim with the world's first artificial fin has been made into a film

By TOM LEONARD

Inspirational: Winter with her prosthetic tail

This is the tale of a tail. A story which is a tribute to human ingenuity and the courage of one very special mammal who, for the past six years, has astonished thousands of visitors to her Florida aquarium.

For Winter the dolphin has a custom-built plastic and silicone prosthetic tail with which she has learned to swim — and with which she has inspired many men, women and children who have lost limbs.

Now, millions have learned about this remarkable story after it was turned into the Hollywood film currently sweeping all before it at the American box office and which opens in the UK next week.


Fishy tale: A worker at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida holds the prosthetic tail

Dolphin Tale, which stars Morgan Freeman as the man who crafted the tail for Winter, recreates a real-life saga which began one December morning in 2005, when Florida fishermen found a three-month-old dolphin caught by its tail in a crab trap.

The creature, so badly hurt that her mother had abandoned her, was taken to the nearby Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a rehabilitation centre for injured sealife. But a rope in the trap which had snaked around the young dolphin's tail had cut off the blood supply, with devastating consequences.

Named Winter by aquarium staff, she lost her tail and two vertebrae, but at least survived. Slowly, she found a way to swim, albeit far more slowly and with the side-to-side motion of a shark rather than the typical up-and-down movement used by dolphins.


Maimed: Winter before her artificial tail was fitted

'She has a way of connecting with injured people. Someone missing a limb is obvious, but she seems to be able to pick up on anyone with a physical challenge and somehow connect with them.'

Dolphins learn how to survive from their parents. Having lost her mother so young, Winter cannot be released into the wild. But in her newly-built 80,000-gallon aquarium pool, the resilience of this rather marvellous creature is enriching the lives of those who are lucky enough to meet her.


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Deep-sea jiving: Meet the woman who has learned to dance with the dolphins

By LUCY BUCKLAND

Unique connection: Through Leina Sato's dance movements she is able to discover more about dolphins and form a closer relationship with the mammals

This is the woman who dances with dolphins in perfect symmetry in their natural habitat.

And these amazing images capture the dazzling movements between Leina Sato and her mammal partners.

Free diver Ms Sato began dancing with dolphins off the coast of Hawaii and built up an amazing understanding of these graceful sea creatures.


Perfect partners: Because Leina Sato dances with dolphins everyday off the coast of Hawaii their movements become synchronised to create identical movements

She started swimming with them seven years ago and instead of her original intention of studying marine biology, she then set up her own charter boat company.

This allowed her to dive with them practically everyday for the last four year
s and to form a close relationship with the mammals, so the dolphins began to mirror her movements.


Capturing the moment: A film, starring Leina Sato and others dancing with dolphins, won an award for Best Experimental Film at the Big Apple Film Festival for its beautiful cinematography

Ms Sato, 25, was born in Tokyo, but moved to France when she was one and again to Hawaii when she was 15.

She said: 'We really are blessed here in Hawaii to have had this strong, ongoing relationship between human and wild dolphins.

'When you swim with them you lose all sense of time and you immerse yourself in the pod. Rather than just looking at them it is very much like going to meet another culture or civilization.


Follow me: Leina Sato shows sometimes her dolphin dance partners take the lead

'What really fascinates me is the fact that they have a neocortex as evolved as ours although wired quite differently but we move in such a different reality.'

And Ms Sato is part of a group called the Dolphin Dance Project which captured the movements of humans and dolphins dancing on film.

Their creation Together: Dancing with Spinner Dolphins won Best Experimental Film at the Big Apple Film Festival in 2010.

For more videos and information on dancing with dolphins log onto http://thedolphindance.wordpress.com/tag/brett-lemaster/


Roll with it: Eye contact between human and dolphin can help contribute to the perfect mirror movements



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Meet the real-life Flipper: The extraordinary relationship between a woman and her wild dolphin friend

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Ocean bonding: Ute Margreff cuddles with her dolphin friend Mara in the waters off the coast of Galway

Meet the woman who can count a wild dolphin among her closest friends.

Dolphin expert Ute Margreff spends up to seven hours per day in chilly waters off the coast of Ireland with her dolphin pal, Mara.

For the last 12 years the German native has travelled the world studying the behaviour of solitary dolphins in the wild.


Belly rub: Ute and Mara play in the water and the dolphin expert rubs the wild animal's tummy as they bask in the sunshine


But it is her incredible relationship with female dolphin Mara that brings Ute to Galway Bay where she conducts her research all year round.

Ute's relationship with her sea pal, resonates a striking similarity to the TV series and film Flipper, in which a bottlenose dolphin is the close companion of the sons of a warden at a marine preserve in Florida.


Underwater fun: Ute dives underwater with Mara by her side

The dolphin expert says: ‘I think my research will make people re-examine what they think they know about dolphins,’ explained the 43-year-old.

‘Very few marine researchers have the privilege to study up close the way I do.

‘It is important to have a certain mind-set, to be rational and open-hearted at the same time.


Having a laugh: Mara gives the camera a happy smile and and shows off her pearly white teeth


‘With me, I feel like I'm getting educated by the dolphins. It's pioneering work to be learning about inter-species communication.’

When Ute was first introduced to the aquatic mammal in 2000, she said she knew that Mara was special.


Gifts from below: Mara brings Ute a selection of presents from the sea bed, such as seaweed, to show her fondness for her


Getting towed: Ute grabs a ride on Mara's back as they wade through the oceans off the coast of Galway, Ireland


The researcher is currently raising awareness about the plight of Morgan, a young female Orca, who is housed in a dolphinarium in Holland.

Ute said: ‘I feel very passionately that all wild sea creatures should remain wild and free.

‘Orcas can swim up to 100 km per day, yet Morgan has been held in a small concrete tank at the Harderwijk Dolfinarium for the past year.

‘It's no place for a wild animal. She needs to be brought back to the ocean where she belongs.’


Similarities: Elijah Wood starring in the 1996 film of Flipper, about a boy who bonded with a bottlenose dolphin

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Meet the real-life Flipper: The extraordinary relationship between a woman and her wild dolphin friend

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Ocean bonding: Ute Margreff cuddles with her dolphin friend Mara in the waters off the coast of Galway

Meet the woman who can count a wild dolphin among her closest friends.

Dolphin expert Ute Margreff spends up to seven hours per day in chilly waters off the coast of Ireland with her dolphin pal, Mara.

For the last 12 years the German native has travelled the world studying the behaviour of solitary dolphins in the wild.


Belly rub: Ute and Mara play in the water and the dolphin expert rubs the wild animal's tummy as they bask in the sunshine


But it is her incredible relationship with female dolphin Mara that brings Ute to Galway Bay where she conducts her research all year round.

Ute's relationship with her sea pal, resonates a striking similarity to the TV series and film Flipper, in which a bottlenose dolphin is the close companion of the sons of a warden at a marine preserve in Florida.


Underwater fun: Ute dives underwater with Mara by her side

The dolphin expert says: ‘I think my research will make people re-examine what they think they know about dolphins,’ explained the 43-year-old.

‘Very few marine researchers have the privilege to study up close the way I do.

‘It is important to have a certain mind-set, to be rational and open-hearted at the same time.


Having a laugh: Mara gives the camera a happy smile and and shows off her pearly white teeth


‘With me, I feel like I'm getting educated by the dolphins. It's pioneering work to be learning about inter-species communication.’

When Ute was first introduced to the aquatic mammal in 2000, she said she knew that Mara was special.


Gifts from below: Mara brings Ute a selection of presents from the sea bed, such as seaweed, to show her fondness for her


Getting towed: Ute grabs a ride on Mara's back as they wade through the oceans off the coast of Galway, Ireland


The researcher is currently raising awareness about the plight of Morgan, a young female Orca, who is housed in a dolphinarium in Holland.

Ute said: ‘I feel very passionately that all wild sea creatures should remain wild and free.

‘Orcas can swim up to 100 km per day, yet Morgan has been held in a small concrete tank at the Harderwijk Dolfinarium for the past year.

‘It's no place for a wild animal. She needs to be brought back to the ocean where she belongs.’


Similarities: Elijah Wood starring in the 1996 film of Flipper, about a boy who bonded with a bottlenose dolphin

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Story of world's first 'bionic' dolphin and his prosthetic tail is to become Hollywood blockbuster... and it's going to be in 3D

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Dolphin Tale: Winter's life will be documented in a new Hollywood movie which will be shown in the UK in October

Watching her swim through the water you would think she's like any other dolphin, doing backflips and splashing around in her pool.

But this is Winter, the world's first bionic dolphin, whose heartwarming story has inspired a Hollywood blockbuster.

At just two months old she lost her mother and her tail in a crab trap.


Splash: Winter with her prosthetic limb which took nearly two years to create


After 18 months of painstaking work, £150,000 and nearly 50 prototypes, the pair managed to create a 30 inch silicone tail.

Winter, who only wears the limb for a few hours a day, wouldn't survive in the wild and constantly needs a replacement limb as she grows.

Staff at the aquarium also spend hours massaging her muscles every day to ensure she is comfortable.

Visitors have also been inspired by Winter and a number of servicemen who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan have benefited from the work done by Mr Carroll.

Because Winter's skin is so sensitive, a special gel had to be created so that the fake limb wouldn't irritate her.

The gel has been so successful it is now being used for humans too.


A member of staff at the aquarium shows off the fake limb which moves along with Winter's spine


Brian Kolfage, who lost both legs and his right hand in Iraq, had such a severe reaction to the fake limbs he was unable to use them. But because of the breakthrough cream he is now able to walk again.

Young children visiting Winter are also inspired and find the courage to deal with their own deformities after meeting the inspirational dolphin.

Hannah Jenkins, 12, who was born without a left hand and forearm, said Winter helped her realise she too could survive.

Winter may never be the most elegant dolphin but, as she splashes about in the aquarium, it is safe to say that she probably doesn't care.

Dolphin Tale, directed by Charles Martin Smith, will be released in the UK in 3D this October.


Dolphin Tale 3D.


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On me head! Dolphin leaps out of the sea... with a jellyfish for a hat

By ANNA EDWARDS

Pleased as punch with his porkpie hat: The dolphin sported the jellyfish like a traditional Kiss Me Quick hat

This playful dolphin seems to have entered into the spirit of the British seaside holiday by sporting a jellyfish in the style of a 'Kiss Me Quick' porkpie hat.

The energetic mammal proudly emerged from the sea off Scotland with a jellyfish jauntily balanced on its head.

The bottlenose dolphin then seemed to have a change of heart about his choice of iconic headgear, because he shook off the common jellyfish, which had stayed on his head as he came out of the water.


Bored now! The fickle bottlenose dolphin quickly changed his mind about his headgear, and flicked the poor jellyfish off

He promptly threw the probably-terrified jellyfish to a friend like a frisbee, while he and his playmates frolicked in the sea.

Photographer Chris Wilson, 46, watched the action at Chanonry Point, on the Moray Firth, near Inverness, Scotland.

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Flipper meets trout pout: Sharon Osbourne gets up close and personal with a dolphin during Hawaiian holiday

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Kissy: Sharon Osbourne takes a dip and gets a smooch from a dolphin whilst on holiday in Hawaii with her daughter Kelly


She has long been known as a lover of animals having famously paraded her menagerie and pack of dogs on her reality show The Osbournes.

But TV host Sharon Osbourne, who has been outspoken about her surgically enhanced face, recently got well acquainted with a different sort of beast as she joined daughter Aimee on a dolphin experience during their Hawaiian vacation.

X Factor judge Sharon, 58, took to the water to swim and play with the amphibious mammals even planting a big kiss on the nose of one lucky friend.

Wearing a life vest and a cover-up to protect her from the sun, Sharon seemed completely at ease in the water alongside the wild life.


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Flipping incredible: Photographer's five-year tour of Britain to capture dolphins at play

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Friendly dolphin Dave touches base with a man in his kayak in Folkestone, Kent


A British photographer has travelled the UK and Ireland taking incredible shots of wild dolphins at play.

Terry Whittaker has spent the last five years snapping the rarely-seen animals as they lark about in the water.

His collection shows the fun-loving creatures zipping through the waves and performing incredible acrobatic stunts.

Some of his heart-warming shots also show one lone dolphin enjoying fun and games with swimmers and kayakers.

The adorable animal became an instant hit when she first turned up in the water near Sandgate, Kent.

She became so used to visitors that she would let them ride on her back and swim alongside her.


Holidaymakers rush into the sea to interact with dolphin Dave


She even encouraged sunbathers in to the water by swimming up and down in the shallows.

It was this dolphin, who became known to locals as 'Dave' who inspired Mr Whittaker to begin photographing the animals in UK and Irish waters.

The 55-year-old, who lives in Sandgate, said: 'I had photographed marine mammals all over the world before but had never paid much attention to those around our shores.

'Dave just turned up on my doorstep one day. She was a lone dolphin and it's very unusual to see them so I just started photographing her.

'She was very friendly and became more so as she became accustomed to humans. She became very tame and she would allow swimmers to grab on to her.

'She also loved kayaks, she would sometimes push them around or bump them.


Mammals out of water: Two Bottlenose dolphins jump into the air at the Moray Firth, Scotland


'I was interested in people's reaction and attitudes to wildlife so I took pictures of Dave almost every day for a year.

'People went crazy for her, they flocked to the beach to see her.

'Some who saw her every day were respectful towards her but others did crowd around.
Sometimes there would be crowds of people trying to get in to the water.

'It was a worry for marine biologists, they tried to stop people swimming with her.

'Although people often see swimming with dolphins as a great experience it can be bad for the animal.


Dave swims in the English Channel with a group children


'Not only does it get them to used to human contact, it also puts them at risk of getting hurt. They can be injured by passing boats or become tangled in fishing lines.'

When Dave moved on from the Kent coastline Mr Whittaker travelled to Moray Firth in Scotland and the West Irish coast in search of more dolphins.

Since then he has returned to Scotland every year.

He said: 'There aren't as many people about in Scotland and Ireland so it's not as busy or crazy as it was in Kent.


Fish out of water: A lone dolphin passes a fish to a swimmer at Folkestone, Kent


'I saw pods which ranged from three dolphins to as many as 20. It's just amazing to see them.

'I still go to Scotland every year. There are big pods of dolphins up there, you can spot them from the shore. It's incredible to be just three or feet away from them.

'I've seen them catching fish and some jump as high as nine feet from the water. It's an amazing spectacle that happens right in front of your face.'



Mammal out of Water: A Bottlenose dolphin jumps out the water in Moray Firth, Scotland


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Spinning with dolphins: Diver completes 13 underwater loops... powered by two of his flippered friends

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Record attempt: Simone Arrigoni is pushed along by the dolphins as he recorded 13 underwater circuits


As he is pushed along underwater, this diver shows how he is in perfect tune with two dolphins.

But this performance isn't part of a marine show - it is actually a record attempt.

Simone Arrigoni completed 13 circuits under dolphin power - and broke his own record - using the dynamic apnea technique, which involves holding your breath.


Pushed along: The dolphins, named Paco and Marco, completed the circuits, or 'voltas', in 1 minute 53 seconds


The attempt took place at a marine centre in the Italian town of Tovaianica, south of Rome.

Arrigoni completed the circuits, or 'voltas' as he calls them, in one minute 53 seconds - and travelled 657 metres.

'Voltas' is a Portuguese term used by the diver to define the circles that he constructs as he is pushed along by the dolphins - in this case, Paco and Marco.

The task is made more difficult as it requires absolute synchronisation with the animals.

And the dolphins are required to surface at least twice during the test in order to breathe, while the diver remains under the surface in a fixed position.


Breaking the surface: The dolphins are required to leave the water at least twice during the test in order to breathe


Arrigoni said before the attempt: 'The trainers at Zoomarine have taught to me to listen to the dolphins and that they converse with each other in order to correct the position during the test.'

This is the third year that Arrigoni has attempted to complete the challenge.

Previously he had set a record using the technique when he completed 12 'voltas', or 607 metres, in a total of one minute 42 seconds.


Simone Arrigoni: "voltas" in apnea con i delfini dello Zoomarine



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New underwater translator could help humans talk to dolphins

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Decoding their language: Scientists are developing a new computer which may allow humans to communicate with dolphins


For years man has dreamt of being able to communicate directly with animals.
And now it appears that it could be a step closer thanks to a group of American scientists.

They are in the process of developing a underwater computer that attempts to recognise dolphin sounds and then respond in real time.


Breakthrough: The new machine, which may be similar to this, works by using hydrophones to pick up the dolphin sounds and LEDs to show the direction they came from


They are hoping to test the machine off the Florida coast in the next few weeks, and, if successful, it will be a huge step in establishing communication between humans and animals.

The machine works by using hydrophones to pick up the dolphin sounds and LEDs to show the direction they came from.


Playtime: Scientists have previously communicated with the animals using props and a large underwater keyboard


When they receive a sound, the divers will then play back one of eight 'words' and see if dolphins mimic them.

The scientists, led by Dr Denise Herzing, will then catalogue all the sounds the dolphins make and, they hope, establishing the building blocks of the dolphins language.


Dolphin Talking


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Flippin' heck: The dolphins that can jump as high as a double decker bus

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Making a splash: The playful pod of spotted dolphins show of with some spectacular aerial moves


These amazing pictures show a gang of young, spotted dolphins leaping an incredible 15 feet in the air - high enough to clear a double decker bus.

The six foot long marine mammals are jumping an astounding two and a half times their own body length.

Two boisterous juveniles are shown throwing their weight about in order to teach the one smaller calf how to assert itself within the pod of dolphins they belong to.


And back down we go: The Atlantic Spotted Dolphins were captured by British photographer, Anthony Pierce, 30, from Leeds.


Watch me fly: A spotted dolphin rockets high into the air as it's friends play nearby


The rarely seen images of three spotted dolphins leaping together were taken by a British photographer, Anthony Pierce, 30, from Leeds.

Anthony was visiting friends who own a catamaran and research marine mammals off the coast of Pico Island in the Azores - the group of Portugese islands in the Atlantic.

'You can see leaping dolphins from a great distance - several miles away,' he explained.

'There are look out posts on the coast that can see for miles out to sea - they send out radio calls to let people know.


Synchronised flipping: Members of the pod of spotted dolphins line up for more aerial acrobatics


Gravity defying: Despite years of research scientists are still at a loss to explain how the dolphins are able to generate enough power to jump so high


'It is a very difficult shot to take because they're only above the water for a fraction of a second,' explained Anthony.

'I have to press the shutter down before they break through the surface in order to capture them - because they're so incredibly quick.

'I have to predict where they're going to be.

'Its' a fantastic experience - they're wild animals - not in a sanctuary or in a show somewhere.'

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