CURACAO DOLPHIN THERAPY & RESEARCH CENTER

Dolphins are of essential importance to our program. For us they are equal team members.

Bottlenose Dolphins: a talent for therapy
The CDTC dolphins are Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins who are mostly born at our facility or came to Curacao from the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences in Honduras. Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins are known for their gentleness, curiosity, eagerness to learn and willingness to socialize with humans. Characteristics that make them perfect partners in therapy.
 
Specially chosen and well-cared for
The dolphins are specially chosen for CDTC’s program and exclusively perform in therapy. They live in spacious lagoons with a constant flow of fresh seawater. The dolphins only participate in the therapy for a limited number of hours and are provided with a high quality diet. CDTC has a specialized veterinarian on the premises. 

Meet the dolphins

	Gee Gee Gee Gee is a motherly dolphin, the oldest in our group, and always eager to interact with humans. Gentle and calm, she can quickly build a bond of trust. She is the alpha female and the mother of Papito. Recognize Gee Gee by her long body, slanted dorsal fin, beautiful eyes and long rostrum (snout) with a white spot on the end.
	Papito Papito is the son of Gee Gee. He is very curious about the humans who enter the water. He loves to play with leaves and sea grass and sometimes offers these to patients as a present. Being a very talkative dolphin, he is often chit chatting away. Recognize Papito by  his slender body, his long rostrum and his captivating eyes.
	Chabelita Chabelita is the youngest dolphin in our facility, the half-sister of Li-Na. She is very interested and affectionate towards the patients. Chabelita is famous for the many different sounds she makes. She is named after a local children's song. Recognize Chabelita by her very light grey skin, a little scar on her rostrum and beautiful eyes.
	Li-Na Li-Na is very intelligent, a quick learner who likes to show off: she jumps the highest and swims the fastest. She is talkative and entertains the patients with her stories. The name Li-Na is Chinese for ‘beautiful and graceful’. Recognize Li-Na by her young, vivid face with extremely dark eyes, long rostrum and round, pink belly. Her teeth are rounded because she loves to fill her mouth with rocks.