The lasting legacy of Snowball

Tourists often arrive at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston and ask, "Where do you keep the dolphins?"

To which Kevin Mills, chief executive officer at the Aquarium, smiles and answers, "Just walk out on our observation deck and you're bound to see them, swimming freely in the harbor."

That's because South Carolina is the only state that bans capturing marine mammals such as dolphins and whales and putting them on public display. The one responsible for that legacy was an albino dolphin nicknamed Carolina Snowball.

In the wake of a tragic accident on Feb. 24 that resulted in a killer whale at SeaWorld in Florida drowning its trainer, some people question the practice of trapping and training these wild animals for our entertainment.

It's a valid argument that arose almost 50 years ago in the Palmetto State when Snowball was captured off the coast of Beaufort and taken to an aquarium in Florida.

While fact and fiction about this legendary marine mammal are often as brackish as the backwater creeks in the Lowcountry, the story is historical and haunting.

Local outrage

The female bottlenose dolphin reportedly was about eight feet long and weighed approximately 200 pounds.

Locals called her Snowball because she was pure white when she broke the surface and became a curiosity in the early 1960s.

But that same celebrity would lead to her demise. Published reports say the Miami Seaquarium sent fishermen to the Beaufort area to capture Snowball. When locals realized their intent, a local law was passed in 1962 to prevent the removal of marine mammals (dolphin and whales) from the waters of Beaufort County.

Determined, the foreign fishermen finally snagged Snowball in St. Helena Sound in Colleton County and hauled her back to Miami for display.

The outrage led to a statewide ban a few years later. And despite efforts to repeal the law on several occasions, we remain the only state that lets these beautiful animals swim freely.

Unfortunate fate

Indeed, dolphins are ubiquitous and amusing creatures that exist in great numbers along the coastline of South Carolina. Some say they're as plentiful as squirrels in the Lowcountry, and certainly as entertaining.

They also are part of our local lore, as told in Pat Conroy's magical novel "The Prince of Tides" when the white dolphin is finally rescued from the aquarium and brought back home.

Unfortunately, Snowball's actual fate was not as glamorous. The white dolphin died of numerous ailments after only a few years in captivity.

Her memory, however, lives on in literature, as well as the letter of the law.

"The Marine Mammal Act here in South Carolina actually predates our aquarium, but we abide by it," Mills said, looking out over the harbor. "But the whole story of Snowball is an example of how one single animal can inspire people to think differently about an ocean that's largely unseen."