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

	Bonnie Bonnie is the mother of Chabelita and Nubia. Her motherly skills fit our program very well. She is very kind and sweet for our children. She also can make a lot of different sounds. Her jumps are very powerful and high. You can recognize Bonnie by her big round eyes and her belly full of grey spots.
	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 a juvenile dolphin. 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. Often she catches big fish in the lagoon. Recognize Chabelita by her very light grey skin, a little scar on her rostrum and beautiful eyes.
	Nubia Nubia is the youngest dolphin in our group, it's Chabelita's little sister. She is still very playful and enjoys all the attention and toys she gets from her children. She's learning more and more every day. You can recognize Nubia by her short and pointy rostrum. She is the smallest dolphin at CDTC.