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Dolphin Research Center Celebrates “Harry Potter”

On what many Wizarding World Fans believe is Harry Potter’s Birthday, the Dolphin Research Center family celebrated with a sorting hat ceremony of its own (No Letters Required!).

By Jenna DeedyPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Tursi, one of Dolphin Research Center's resident dolphins, gets "sorted" into Gryffindor on July 31st, 2020. Screenshot is from the actual "Sorting Hat" ceremony.

It has been over two decades since the Harry Potter series was first introduced to the world through the first of seven books. From there, this internationally renowned book series would give way to a franchise that saw eight films, several spin-offs, live stage productions, creative cosplays, and an endless series of fanfictions across the internet. It has even given wave to several theme park attractions at Universal Studios parks in both Japan and North America.

So when a group of Harry Potter-loving marine mammal trainers at Dolphin Research Center (DRC) in Grassy Key, Florida decided to do their version of the famous “sorting hat” ceremony from the franchise, they based it around the dolphins they work with for a living. The ceremony took place on July 31st, 2020, the day fans mark as the birthday of the titular teenage wizard himself.

The ceremony, which was live-streamed on Facebook, started with having a few staff members being sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The trainers making the video, which can be seen on Dolphin Research Center’s Facebook page, revealed that several members of the DRC family were either Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws. From there, the trainers proceeded to begin the dolphin sorting ceremony at the lagoons where the animals reside. It consisted of flags that represent the four Hogwarts houses, the iconic film soundtrack, and a talking plush version of the infamous hat itself.

At first, some of the animals were not sure about the hat’s presence in the habitat. However, once they saw that it was worth checking out, they decided to come over to take part in the little ceremony.

The following contains the houses that the individual animals were sorted in (in order of appearance).

Rainbow: Gryffindor

Tanner: Ravenclaw

Tursi: Gryffindor

Gypsi: Hufflepuff

Calusa: Slytherin

Pandora: Ravenclaw

Aleta: Ravenclaw

Talon: Ravenclaw

Pax: Gryffindor

Flagler: Slytherin

Sandy: Hufflepuff

Merina: Gryffindor

Diva: Gryffindor

Cacica: Ravenclaw

Atocha: Gryffindor

Windley: Hufflepuff

Santini: Ravenclaw:

Summer: Hufflepuff

Cayo: Slytherin

Louie: Hufflepuff

Gambit: Gryffindor

Delta: Hufflepuff

Reese: Gryffindor

Jax: Hufflepuff:

Luna: Ravenclaw

The dolphins were not the only animal residents at DRC to be sorted into their Hogwarts houses. A sea lion named Lina was sorted into the house of Ravenclaw, making her the first sea lion at the facility to be sorted into a Hogwarts house. She was soon joined by another sea lion named Diamond, who was sorted into Slytherin, Kilo, a male, into Ravenclaw, and Karen, an elderly sea lion, was sorted into Hufflepuff.

The little ceremony was based on the concept of “Dolphinality”, a term that the DRC family uses to describe the personalities of every one of their dolphins and sea lions. For example, Delta is known to be curious, bright, independent, and athletic while Aleta, his mother, is known for her creative spirit.

It is no wonder they decided to apply the “dolphinality” concept to the Harry Potter franchise’s tradition of sorting new students into their Hogwarts houses. It plays very well with the DRC concept since both “dolphinalites” and the sorting hat ceremony are based on recognizing an individual’s personality. When it comes to the concept of the sorting hat for example, if one was brave and courageous, that meant that they were apart of Gryffindor, or If one was wise and a seeker of knowledge, it meant that they were a part of Ravenclaw. The two concepts go together like strawberries and bananas.

In light of all that has happened this past year, a dolphin version of Harry Potter’s sorting hat ceremony was something that the world could use as a reminder that with every storm, comes a rainbow with the promise of hope and goodwill.

You can watch the ceremony here on Dolphin Research Center’s official Facebook page.

To learn more about Dolphin Research Center and how you can either pay a visit or make a donation, please visit their website.

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About the Creator

Jenna Deedy

Zoo and Aquarium Professional, Educator, Cosplayer, Writer and B.A. in Psychology whose got a lot to share when it comes to animals, zoos, aquariums, conservation, and more.

Instagram: @jennacostadeedy

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