Aquarium Invites Injured Vets

Veterans who suffered physical injuries, including amputation, can visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Flordia, for free and get the behind-the-scenes story on Winter, a dolphin who lost her tail and is being fitted for a prosthesis.

The aquarium has already hosted its first group of military veterans, all amputees from the Amputee VA Support Team at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, Florida, who saw action in both Persian Gulf wars, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, or World War II.

The program "allows participants to go behind the scenes and experience Winter's story via video and discussion, learn about the technology behind Winter's prosthetic tail, and see Winter interact with the CMA trainers," the aquarium said in a statement.

Winter is a young female Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin that stranded near Cape Canaveral in December 2005. She was found entangled in a crab trap with wounds that were so deep she eventually lost her tail tissue. The dolphin survived and adapted by swimming in a side-to-side fashion, similar to a shark or alligator. The aquarium has been working with the Hanger Orthopedic Group to develop a prosthetic tail that would allow Winter to swim in normal dolphin style.

For more information about Winter, visit www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/2008-02_07.asp