Reflections of Gratitude from Dr. Cynthia Smith
To Our Valued Supporters and Advocates for Aquatic Mammals,
On behalf of our team at the National Marine Mammal Foundation, I would like to express our most heartfelt gratitude. Your support has made 2024 an extraordinary year for marine mammal medicine, science and conservation. Together, we are making a difference for the animals, and we couldn’t have done it without you.
This year, your generosity helped us:
- Share our groundbreaking research in Science on minke whale hearing in Norway, to help inform international policies to better protect baleen whales from ocean noise.
- Assess the health of Amazon river dolphins, a critical step in addressing the challenges posed by unprecedented climate change.
- Develop cutting-edge clinical technology to monitor free-swimming dolphin heart rates and rhythms in San Diego Bay.
- Empower communities in Kenya to protect Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, fostering local stewardship and sustainable conservation.
- Eavesdrop on dolphins as they communicate underwater, to determine if changes in their sound production could reflect changes in their health.
- Adapt a human medical device to collect capillary blood from dolphin skin, paving the way for remote blood collection from free-swimming dolphins and whales.
- Expand our in-person Dolphin Doctor student workshops, inspired by the one-and-only Dr. Sam Ridgway, spreading our knowledge and passion to local and global communities.
Although the work is often challenging, your belief in our mission to care for, conserve, and protect marine mammals has inspired us daily. We hope you feel as proud of these milestones as we do. They are rooted in our shared love for the animals, for nature, and for our planet.
As we celebrate this season of giving, we look ahead to the possibilities of 2025. Marine mammals face immense challenges, but together, we can continue to make profound contributions to their care and conservation. We hope you will continue to lead the way, fueling our efforts with your compassion and unwavering commitment to the animals.
From all of us at the National Marine Mammal Foundation, we wish you a restorative holiday season filled with love, warmth, and hope. Thank you for being part of our family.
Yours,
Dr. Cynthia Smith, DVM
President & CEO
National Marine Mammal Foundation
