To remind myself 1 among many reasons why I do this and never forget…

  Dolphins

"The thought of freeing Rocky and Rambo and having to leave Johnny behind—and in isolation—was unbearable for all of us. But what could we do? Johnny’s teeth were worn down to the gums. He couldn’t catch fish properly. So we got busy, we got creative. “Leave no dolphin behind” became our new mantra. And we turned Johnny into a bionic dolphin!” ~ Ric O’Barry, Founder/Director of Dolphin Project 

Follow-up x-rays confirmed the crowns Johnny received were of very high quality.

A sampling of Johnny’s dental x-rays, before and after the crowns were placed. Credit: DolphinProject.com 

Johnny’s upper and lower jaw before crown placement, showing teeth worn down below gum line. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Johnny’s jaw after crown placement. Teeth with crowns are recognizable by their white color and protruding above the gum line, offering grasping power to the bite. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Approximately one hour post-procedure, our team witnessed Johnny successfully hunting and catching live fish in the foraging pen (a specially constructed pen for live fish feedings). It was immediately apparent he was experimenting with his new crowns. To our delight, his grasping power and manipulation of the fish dramatically improved to within the normal behavior of his species. 

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