More than five years after being rescued and brought back to health by our animal care team, a spotted dolphin, originally identified as Lamda in the wild, and affectionately named M&M for “Modern Miracle” by the rescue team, was discovered healthy and thriving with his original family pod.

This is the only known case of a stranded wild dolphin that has been rehabilitated, released, and confirmed as thriving with its pod more than five years later.

Atlantis Veterinarian Dr. Amanda Pinder and Vice President of Marine Mammal Operations, Ted Turner, embarked on an expedition to find this pod of resident Atlantic spotted dolphins off the coast of the outer islands of The Bahamas. After days of searching known hunting grounds, the team was able to confirm and document the sighting of this uniquely recognizable dolphin, due to his satellite tracking tag scar.

“It’s hard to put into words what a special day that was,” said Pinder, known on-island as “Dr. Amanda.”

We invite you to watch his story, and ours.