The event attracted significant press coverage. Brock Mealer (brother of Michigan Wolverines player Eliot Mealer), who was paralyzed in a car accident, met Winter in December 2010. Winter became the most popular attraction at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and was viewed as an inspiration to people with disabilities.

Knowledge gleaned from treating Winter was applied to human amputees, as when Carroll used the same gel sleeve concept to ease painful prosthetic limbs for United States Air Force senior airman Brian Kolfage, who lost both legs and his right hand in a 2004 mortar attack in Iraq. However, Winter's flukes and caudal peduncle had been severed, making the task much more difficult. A gel-like sleeve was used under the tail in order to prevent it from irritating Winter's skin. Irish prosthetist Kevin Carroll and a team of experts took a year and a half designing and testing a tail for Winter, eventually settling on a simple silicone and plastic tail in 2007. The rope in which Winter was entangled cut off the supply of blood to her tail, necessitating its amputation. Winter received her name because she was found in December, traditionally considered a winter month, even though the exact date of her rescue falls within the American definition of autumn. At the time of her rescue, she was estimated to be about two months old. Winter was found in the ropes of a crab trap on Decemin Mosquito Lagoon of the coastal waters of Florida. She lived in her pool with two other dolphins, Hope and P.J., the former of which is the subject of Dolphin Tale 2. Winter became a highly popular attraction at the aquarium. As a result, Winter was fitted with a silicone and plastic tail that enabled her to swim normally. The loss of her tail caused Winter to swim unnaturally, with her tail moving side to side instead of up and down. Winter was then taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she was housed for nearly 16 years. She was caught in a crab trap, which resulted in the loss of her tail. Winter was found in the coastal waters of Florida on December 10, 2005. Winter was the subject of the 2009 book Winter's Tale, the 2011 film Dolphin Tale, and its 2014 sequel. October 2005 – November 11, 2021) was a bottlenose dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida, United States, and was widely known for having a prosthetic tail. Herself in Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2Ĭlearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida

Winter dolphin