#human consequences

Winter was found in December 2005, her tail badly damaged from a crab trap."  Actually, the fisherman knew that dolphins often flock to the area where they put  the crab trap, but they did not really care about it and kept putting it in the area.  

Their indifference about the environment can endanger the dolphin." (The Impact of Human Behavior on Dolphin's Life in the Dolphin Tale Series 2011 & 2014, 126) The impact on Winter's life was lifelong. Her disability required her to live in captivity to survive. Under ordinary circumstances, the goal of the Clear Water Marine Aquarium is to rescue  rehabilitate, and release. This aquarium demonstrates the positive impact humans can have on animal life. In the case of Winter, the  aquarium saved Winter from negative human involvement. In the case of  Winter's companion Panama, she was a dolphin who required the safety of captivity because of old age. Becoming deaf, Panama actually relied on  human scraps. Her need to find and stay close to boats also put her in danger  of injury.   

Dolphins in captivity live around 12 or 13 years. They are adaptable  creatures but in captivity they depend on humans for food, and limited socialization with other animals shortens their life span. Winter's journey from  the wild to becoming a domestic animal is not a focus of the film. 

Winter's behavioral training she received to “warm up" to humans is not shown. Winter's side-to-side swimming is a variation of how sharks swim.

It caused scoliosis, and when Winter was fitted with her new tail, humans were the ones who had to teach her how to swim. 

Winter's problems with the tail in the film are solved when Dr. McCarthy makes a new "sock" out of Winter's gel. The gel in real life has helped people who had  previously given up on prosthetics. Unfortunately, Winter's tail slowly died and  broke down on its own. As the tissue died and the potential for infection  increased, the Clear Water Marine Aquarium staff slowly amputated, though, in the film,  it happened in one dramatic scene. The film modified the true story to  better fit in the Hollywood template. It must be traumatic for children to witness Winter losing her tail in this way. 

The prosthetic tail prolonged Winter's life by slowing the damage resulting from  her "shark" swimming pattern. This again highlights the positive possibilities of  human intervention and  dedication to animals. 

Winter's prosthetics were created and tested by a team of doctors and supported by the aquarium staff. It was a group effort that provided  an inspirational story.  

Dolphin Tale is more focused on the positive impact of humans on animals.  Emphasizing how humans can save animals' lives is important. The second  film, however, addresses the dolphin's need for other animals. Hope and Winter must be introduced and then accept one another in order to save Winter from  isolation and the possibility of losing her human companions. Isolation of  dolphins in captivity is illegal because it's cruel based on what humans know  about dolphin culture.

Sources

Maskurotal, A. K., Aminah, S. M., & Rizki, F. (2020). The Impact of Human Behavior on Dolphin’s Life in the Dolphin Tale Series (2011 & 2014). J-Lalite: Journal of English Studies, 1(2), 123-135. http://jos.unsoed.ac.id/index.php/jes