In a news release, Clearwater Marine Aquarium shared details of the ceremony, saying Winter was encased in a Himalayan sea salt urn, there was a C-130 flyover by the U.S. Coast Guard, and flower petals of roses and orchids were released into the gulf along with Winter’s ashes. The team also blew bubbles, “honoring one of Winter’s favorite enrichment activities.”
Winter the Dolphin's ashes released in the Gulf of Mexico Animal Care Specialist holds Winter's ashes before releasing her into the Gulf of Mexico. (Hand-out/Clearwater Marine Aquarium)
Winter died in November from twisted intestines, we reported at the time. She was 16 years old when she passed away.
The Vice President of Zoological Care for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Kelly Martin, said “Being able to return Winter to her natural home was the best feeling in the world. Our goal at Clearwater Marine Aquarium is always to rehabilitate rescued marine life so they can return to the wild. In Winter’s case, as is the case with all non-releasable animals, she unfortunately could not complete her return to the wild in life. But today, we were able to give her that final step — a return home,” WTSP reported.
Winter was rescued in 2005, found by a fisherman wrapped in a crab trap, and lost her tail as a result. Her recovery and process to get fitted with a prosthetic tail was chronicled in “Dolphin Tale” and she appeared again in “Dolphin Tale 2,” which focused on another rescued dolphin, as we previously reported.
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Winter the dolphin swims at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Winter the dolphin swims at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone kisses Winter the dolphin during a show Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium trainer Cindy Farber reaches out to touch Winter the dolphin on the nose in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone fits Winter the dolphin with a prosthetic tail in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31 photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone, right, grabs Winter the dolphin's prosthetic fluke as Emily Egan holds her Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin FILE - In this July 26, 2007 file photo, Winter, a tailless dolphin, rests on her mat at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium was heavily featured in the 2011 film Dolphin Tale, which told a fictionalized account of Winter the dolphin. The film reached audiences world wide and brought thousands of visitors to the aquarium. The aquariums story is one that Film Florida, a lobbying group for the states entertainment industry, pushed recently when a delegation of filmmakers and others met with lawmakers in Tallahassee about extending the states incentive program for luring movie and TV production. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug 31, 2011 photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone, left, shows Winter the dolphin to J.C. Barton, center, of Williamson, N.Y., and Kelsie Castagne, of Carmel, N.Y., in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin FILE - Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone works with Winter the dolphin in Clearwater, Fla., Aug. 3, 2011. Officials say the prosthetic-tailed dolphin that starred in the "Dolphin Tale" movies may be fighting a gastrointestinal infection. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, that staff members noticed a week earlier that Winter was acting abnormally and not eating. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug 31 photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium trainer Cindy Farber works with dolphins Winter, right, and Panama in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug 31 photo, Winter the dolphin swims in a tank in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)