"Touched" by Dolphins

Speaker:	Deborah Huckabee
Affiliation:	Dolphin Research Center, Grassy Key, Florida

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, as well as our hearts. 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.

At the Dolphin Research Center (DRC), a colony of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and the people who care for them are creating a greater understanding and appreciation of marine mammals and the environment we share. We are dedicated to learning from and about dolphins, and teaching what we know for the mutual benefit of both species. To accomplish this goal, DRC provides a variety of programs with a special emphasis on opportunities for dolphin/human interaction, both therapeutic and educational in nature.

The benefits resulting from these encounters have had a positive effect upon both species. From an objective observer's viewpoint, these results can be difficult to quantify; from the participant's viewpoint, the results are often self-evident and defy verbal description. Join us as we explore how dolphins have touched the hearts and minds of thousands of people from around the world.