Searching for a Story…
And came upon something more.
The Hoagland family’s experience with Fonzie resulted in the formation of Island Dolphin Care, a not-for-profit organization where children with special needs experience the same therapy implemented between Joe and Fonzie.
Joe & Fonzi
“After months of seeing how the Hoagland family
had dedicated their lives to bringing purpose
to not only those in need, but also
to a family of dolphins that were incapable
of living in the wild, I was drawn in.”
The Story of Island Dolphin Care… Told by the Founder:
The Future of Captive Animals…
… is a challenge we face, as the practice of marine mammals in pools doing shows must change, however what is the future for these animals that cannot survive in the wild. Pointing out the problem with negative social media posts doesn’t lead us closer to a solution, which means if you actually care about these animals, you are forced to look deeper at the issue.
“As someone who feels a responsibility to
care for the natural world and the animals
we’ve been blessed to share it with, this is
the closest place I’ve found that brings purpose
to an imperfect situation. And instead of
fighting for extremes, if we educate ourselves
on the reality of the situation, we can at least
find ways to make positive progress.”
Which brings us to…
The Ocean Aquarium
Seeing as the exorbitant costs to care for these animals makes the idea of a sanctuary extremely challenging, we must look for alternate options that can support these demands.
The Ocean Aquarium is a possible, yet ambitious solution that may be able to achieve that challenge.
The concept would align ocean science efforts globally, where our oceans are no longer seen as resources to accommodate our demands, but more like an aquarium that we are responsible to sustain.
EXPLORE OTHER INITIATIVES
