pP Jim Savage was setting out for a day's fishing off the Florida coast when he heard the cries of a baby dolphin in trouble. The three-month-old had got her tail caught in the 5 ropes of an abandoned crab trap. Jim knew that if he left her, the dolphin would have little chance of survival. He cut her free and got in contact with the authorities. She was taken to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, but her injuries 10 were so severe that she lost her tail. BB The aquarium staff named the baby dolphin Winter and she gradually learned how to swim again. Unfortunately, because of the way she was moving in the water without 15 her tail, she was in danger of developing a problem with her spine. Kevin Carroll and Dan Strzempka, who ran a company making artificial limbs, heard about the problem on the local radio and had a brilliant idea. Kevin 20 and Dan told the staff at the aquarium that they would make an artificial tail for Winter! BD There were a lot of challenges that Kevin 25 and Dan had to deal 4 A Tale of a Tail with along the way. For example, try fitting an artificial tail on a playful young dolphin that doesn't want to stay stilll It took over fifty prototypes and a year and a half before Winter finally got her new 30-inch tail. It 30 hadn't been easy, but after seeing her swim with it for the first time, Kevin said that the months of hard work had been truly worth it. [> Making the tail was only half the story, though. For Winter to be able to swim properly, the artical tail needed to be held in place without damaging her skin. Specialist successful that used to