The female dolphin known as Winter held at Clearwater Marine Aquarium since 2005, died at the facility on Thursday 11 November at around 8.00pm – she was only 16 years old. A necropsy will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of her death, however, heart failure is thought to be possible also she had reportedly been suffering from what was thought to be an intestinal blockage but died before the exploratory surgery could be carried out. Winter had apparently stopped eating on 1 November and had originally responded to antibiotics, however her health then took a downward turn again early Thursday.
Winter was taken to Clearwater Aquarium after being found stranded in December 2005 when only a few months old, tangled in crab-pot rope in shallow waters just north of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and her injuries resulted in her being fitting with a prosthetic tail – her story was then subject of the movie entitled ‘Dolphin Tale’.
