I am not a writer, but I’m going to try to portray in words the deep emotional attachment and love I have for Sharkey. It is rather hard to put into words because the bond between human and dolphin is unspoken. Every interaction is silent, but at the same time there is true understanding. She was one of the first dolphins I really got to know. She will always have a special place in my heart. Out of all the deceased dolphins that I have yet known, I knew Sharkey the best and I knew her the longest. I have so many fond memories of her, and I know so many others do as well (both humans and dolphins).
For those unfortunate souls who did not know Sharkey:
First, she is a dolphin. In case you were confused. She was an Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin to be precise. She was captured in 1982. She was sent to Marineland of the Pacific, which then got bought out by Sea World in 1987. In 1987, Sharkey along with the aquarium’s other animals were moved to Sea World in San Diego. Sharkey stayed there until 2004 when she was moved to Discovery Cove in Orlando Florida, where she then died just days ago: April 26, 2008. She died in a freak accident when she collided with another dolphin named Tyler during an aerial behavior.
Sharkey was a celebrity in the dolphin world. There are so many dolphins housed in aquariums throughout the United States and the world. Keeping up with them is near impossible. It is rare to find people that know the dolphins outside of the park the regularly visit, but everyone knew Sharkey. It’s probably because she spent most of her days overweight. She was easily recognizable. Her eyes were her best feature. They had so much expression.
I only knew Sharkey for four short years. During that time I was making regular trips to Sea World, usually 1-3 trips per week. I would spend the whole day at RPP. I feel I got to know Sharkey very well, even if I only got a small glimpse of her life through my visits. She was one of the first dolphins I ever pet, and one of the first dolphins I got to know on a personal level. I didn’t know it was possible for regular people to become friends with dolphins. Sharkey’s friendly personality showed me that I could.
Sharkey was unlike any dolphin I have ever met. She wasn’t the cute and cuddly kind that would come up to anyone, nor was she the kind to keep her distance. She either liked you or she didn’t. If she didn’t she made it quite clear with small nips and splashes. If she did she made it equally obvious. I was one of the fortunate ones that she liked. I’m not saying it was a rare occurrence to be liked by Sharkey. In fact, she liked almost all of the regulars, some more than others. My sister was her absolute favorite. Both the regulars and the trainers knew it. If my sister was on the wall Sharkey would always choose to go to her. My sister shared Sharkey’s affection.
She loved her rubdowns. Her favorite spot to be rubbed was her peduncle, which happened to be twice as thick as the average dolphins’.
Sharkey’s favorite buddies were Crunch and Scarback. The three would rarely be seen without one another. It saddens me that these two will never see their friend again.
I was planning a trip to Florida next summer. I was so excited I was going to see Sharkey again. The trip will be so dull without her.
I feel truly blessed to have known such a wonderful animal.
Name: Sharkey
Species: Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin
Gender: Female
Captured: 4/15/1982
Death Date: 4/26/2008
Calves: Sparky
grandchild: Sophie
Transfers:
Marineland of the Pacific: 4/15/1982-2/10/1987
SWC: 2/10/1987-4/4/2004
Discovery cove FL: 4/4/2004-4/26/2008
Nicknames (by me): Sharkey face, Fat (in a loving way of course), Sparkles and Chahee. You are probably wondering why we call her these names lol. So, I will tell you. One day we were by the underwater viewing and there was this cute little girl who decided to name the dolphins, the only dolphin that went by was Sharkey, so she named her Sparkles, and she kept saying that name every time Sharkey went by. So now we call her Sparkles, it is a much cuter name than Sharkey, or at least I think so. As for Chahee, one day my sister was saying Sharkey's name really weird, with an accent of some sort. It sounded more like Shawky than Sharkey. have you seen "All dogs go to heaven", well one of the horses in that movie is named Chahee, and Shawky reminded me of it, so it rather stuck.
News Article:
SeaWorld Dolphin Dies Performing Trick In Front Of Show Crowd
April 27, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A SeaWorld dolphin died after it collided with another dolphin during an aerial show trick performed in front of a crowd.
Officials said the dolphin, called Sharky, hit the other dolphin during a Sunday show at SeaWorld's Discovery Cove. The accident was apparently a freak accident.
Sharky was a 30-year-old female dolphin that had performed the trick dozens of times, officials said.
The dolphin will be used for research at the park, Local 6 reported.
Source: http://www.local6.com/news/16024577/detail.html?rss=orlpn&psp=news
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