:mad:

Alarm Over Kerzner's Dolphin Imports
Candia Dames
An international group of animal rights campaigners has sounded the alarm over Kerzner International's plan to import 40 dolphins from the Solomon Islands for its dolphin attraction facility, which is part of the Atlantis Phase III development.

But Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries V. Alfred Gray said Monday that the government has absolutely no concerns over the import, although the World Society For the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has launched a campaign against what Kerzner is doing.

"We are not too concerned about these animal rights activists because if you listen to then, quite frankly, you would not catch a fish to eat," the minister said, "or you would not cut down a tree to build a house."

Minister Gray informed that Director of Fisheries Michael Brennen and a team actually traveled to the Solomon Islands facility to ensure that it was up to international standards.

But on Monday, Mr. Brennen said he had no comment on the matter.

According to an international press report, the 40 dolphins will be flown to The Bahamas this week, via Fiji, Tahiti and Mexico.

WSPA believes the exportation goes against an international treaty - known as the CITES treaty.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between governments, which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival

"Even when [the dolphins] arrive in The Bahamas, no matter how great care the facilities said they are going to give to these dolphins there is just no way to provide for their welfare in captivity," said Susan Sherwin, campaign manager at WSPA's Massachusetts office.

"Regardless of the technology or intent, these dolphins were taken from the wild and they belong in the wild. The other great cause for concern for us and should be cause for concern for The Bahamas government is the fact that this transport is illegal under the CITES treaty to which The Bahamas is a signatory."

Ms. Sherwin said there should be no reason why the government should even be considering allowing the importation of these dolphins.

WSPA officials also claim that a law in the Solomon Islands actually bans the export of any dolphins.

"If these dolphins are received by your country, it would be in complete contravention of that law," she claimed.

But Minister Gray indicated that Ms. Sherwin was being inaccurate in her statements.

"The CITES [treaty] has not said that it is illegal for The Bahamas to import dolphins," he said. "Quite frankly, dolphins are used all over the world, including The United States, including most of the islands in the Caribbean, including most of the islands in the South Americas for purposes related to that which Kerzner International will use the dolphins, for commercial purposes."

Minister Gray said The Bahamas has to look out for its own interest.

"The Bahamas has sovereignty. The Government of The Bahamas would not do anything to endanger the country by way of international relations," he assured.

"We cannot listen to every pundit on what we can and cannot do and I can assure you that all of the stakeholders in The Bahamas have been consulted. There would always be some people who you cannot ever get approval from."

But Ms. Sherwin said The Bahamas could face a huge international outcry over the import and could receive a lot of negative international publicity that could ultimately hurt the tourism industry.

"The Bahamas is now extremely and dangerously close to putting itself in [this] position," she warned.

"The media [are] already aware that the dolphins may be on the way to your country and if they are allowed to arrive, again, it would be illegal under CITES and the media will be made aware of that fact and it certainly would not look good for the country's tourism prospects."

Local animal welfare and environmental groups, including The Bahamas Humane Society, are also raising concerns.

Kevin Degenhard of the Human Society said the organization remains opposed to dolphins being used for entertainment.

"We are also opposed to any dolphins being taken from the wild," he indicated in an e-mail to reporters on Monday. "When asked if any of [Kerzner] International's dolphins will originate from the wild this question remains unanswered."

On Monday evening, Kerzner International's Chief Marine Officer Frank Muru issued a brief statement on the matter, saying, "The facts that are being circulated are grossly inaccurate. Our plans for a dolphin facility are still in the planning stages. Therefore it is premature to address any specifics."

Just before breaking for the summer recess, parliament passed a bill that cleared the way for the government to approve more facilities of this type to add to the three presently in operation in the country.

Minister Gray said during the debate in the House of Assembly, "It is no longer a question of whether we wish to have these facilities, but how we will regulate and manage them over the years. The need for legislation to regulate and monitor these facilities was recognized a long time ago."

The bill prohibits the capture of marine mammals from Bahamian waters.

But during that same debate, former prime minister Hubert Ingraham said, "I understand that such importation could have a negative impact upon the resident population of dolphins, particularly if any of these dolphins be released intentionally or otherwise in The Bahamas."

The new law prohibits the holding, exporting etc. of marine mammals without a license for permit from the minister and provides for the appointment of marine mammal inspectors and their immunity from prosecution for acts in pursuance of their responsibilities under the Act.

:mad:
Alarm Over Kerzner's Dolphin Imports
Candia Dames
An international group of animal rights campaigners has sounded the alarm over Kerzner International's plan to import 40 dolphins from the Solomon Islands for its dolphin attraction facility, which is part of the Atlantis Phase III development.
But Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries V. Alfred Gray said Monday that the government has absolutely no concerns over the import, although the World Society For the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has launched a campaign against what Kerzner is doing.
"We are not too concerned about these animal rights activists because if you listen to then, quite frankly, you would not catch a fish to eat," the minister said, "or you would not cut down a tree to build a house."
Minister Gray informed that Director of Fisheries Michael Brennen and a team actually traveled to the Solomon Islands facility to ensure that it was up to international standards.
But on Monday, Mr. Brennen said he had no comment on the matter.
According to an international press report, the 40 dolphins will be flown to The Bahamas this week, via Fiji, Tahiti and Mexico.
WSPA believes the exportation goes against an international treaty - known as the CITES treaty.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between governments, which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival
"Even when [the dolphins] arrive in The Bahamas, no matter how great care the facilities said they are going to give to these dolphins there is just no way to provide for their welfare in captivity," said Susan Sherwin, campaign manager at WSPA's Massachusetts office.
"Regardless of the technology or intent, these dolphins were taken from the wild and they belong in the wild. The other great cause for concern for us and should be cause for concern for The Bahamas government is the fact that this transport is illegal under the CITES treaty to which The Bahamas is a signatory."
Ms. Sherwin said there should be no reason why the government should even be considering allowing the importation of these dolphins.
WSPA officials also claim that a law in the Solomon Islands actually bans the export of any dolphins.
"If these dolphins are received by your country, it would be in complete contravention of that law," she claimed.
But Minister Gray indicated that Ms. Sherwin was being inaccurate in her statements.
"The CITES [treaty] has not said that it is illegal for The Bahamas to import dolphins," he said. "Quite frankly, dolphins are used all over the world, including The United States, including most of the islands in the Caribbean, including most of the islands in the South Americas for purposes related to that which Kerzner International will use the dolphins, for commercial purposes."
Minister Gray said The Bahamas has to look out for its own interest.
"The Bahamas has sovereignty. The Government of The Bahamas would not do anything to endanger the country by way of international relations," he assured.
"We cannot listen to every pundit on what we can and cannot do and I can assure you that all of the stakeholders in The Bahamas have been consulted. There would always be some people who you cannot ever get approval from."
But Ms. Sherwin said The Bahamas could face a huge international outcry over the import and could receive a lot of negative international publicity that could ultimately hurt the tourism industry.
"The Bahamas is now extremely and dangerously close to putting itself in [this] position," she warned.
"The media [are] already aware that the dolphins may be on the way to your country and if they are allowed to arrive, again, it would be illegal under CITES and the media will be made aware of that fact and it certainly would not look good for the country's tourism prospects."
Local animal welfare and environmental groups, including The Bahamas Humane Society, are also raising concerns.
Kevin Degenhard of the Human Society said the organization remains opposed to dolphins being used for entertainment.
"We are also opposed to any dolphins being taken from the wild," he indicated in an e-mail to reporters on Monday. "When asked if any of [Kerzner] International's dolphins will originate from the wild this question remains unanswered."
On Monday evening, Kerzner International's Chief Marine Officer Frank Muru issued a brief statement on the matter, saying, "The facts that are being circulated are grossly inaccurate. Our plans for a dolphin facility are still in the planning stages. Therefore it is premature to address any specifics."
Just before breaking for the summer recess, parliament passed a bill that cleared the way for the government to approve more facilities of this type to add to the three presently in operation in the country.
Minister Gray said during the debate in the House of Assembly, "It is no longer a question of whether we wish to have these facilities, but how we will regulate and manage them over the years. The need for legislation to regulate and monitor these facilities was recognized a long time ago."
The bill prohibits the capture of marine mammals from Bahamian waters.
But during that same debate, former prime minister Hubert Ingraham said, "I understand that such importation could have a negative impact upon the resident population of dolphins, particularly if any of these dolphins be released intentionally or otherwise in The Bahamas."
The new law prohibits the holding, exporting etc. of marine mammals without a license for permit from the minister and provides for the appointment of marine mammal inspectors and their immunity from prosecution for acts in pursuance of their responsibilities under the Act.

Interesting....
Now its just a waiting game...
We need the dolphins...
either tamed or wild...
I wonder if there are any young tamed one out there...
If not, then to the wild we go!

Why don't Atlantis make some kind of arrangement with Dolphin Encounters. They are already in business and it will also give the tourist something to do away from PI. There are too many all enclusive resorts. Soon PI will be a country by itself.

i dunno...i think importing dolphins for Atlantis...smells like rotten fish to me. i dont like zoos and all these things. i think dolphins especially should be kept in their natural habitat, not in an Atlantis swimming pool.

and anyway, why are they getting them from the solomon islands??? is it really necessary to important dolphins from the pacific, when we have them in the atlantic?

Why don't Atlantis make some kind of arrangement with Dolphin Encounters. They are already in business and it will also give the tourist something to do away from PI. There are too many all enclusive resorts. Soon PI will be a country by itself.

If the article is factual, hope this doesn't backfire on us later on, causing conflicts with the international community. But do the powers that be really care, seeing that some laws roun' here aren't enforced!?

Observe that one-sentence paragraph near the end: "The bill prohibits the capture of marine mammals from Bahamian waters". Doesn't that smack of selfishness? -- Yeah, let's get them dolphins from some other country's waters, but don't mess with our Bahamian waters!!!

But Lynette, ya think they might want to get independence for PI like how Abaco tried to do once ago!? :D :D

Why don't Atlantis make some kind of arrangement with Dolphin Encounters. They are already in business and it will also give the tourist something to do away from PI. There are too many all enclusive resorts. Soon PI will be a country by itself.
What Ya mean there is no real trickle down affect. :rolleyes:

I am glad u posted this moon, i actually watched a dateline on this a few weeks ago. those dolphins u see slpashin up in the waters of these parks and crap come from horrible back grounds. the way they are obtained is grosss and sickening. the region featured was the solomon isles. i am 99 % sure the report said the USA doesnt allow dolphin importation and parks such as sea world etc must rely on breeding of the ones they already have.

capturing dolphins is simply not a clean proffession. the show also talked about how the ones that got away from the capture get all messed becuase dolphins r family oriented creatures. they know when members of the pack are taken and their behavours begin to change.

the person that talked about the backfire, there could be one. The Bahamian gov might not care but let tourist get a whif of it and it wont be good. Many americans have strong feeling about the treatment of animals and i am sure the BA would loose tourism over it. The impact would probably be very small though.

The idea of Atlanta working a deal with Dolphin encounters but u see thats what i hate about big business, why must they compete with every lamb blasted thing. Dolphin encounters is there work out some kind of deal, y build ur own doplin thing? I mean u already makin OOOODLES OF DOLLARS, ur already the star of the bahamas(nassau), give someone else a break.

Who here has been to the atlantis website lately, i aint gonna lie their projects gettin outta order. no lie soon they will own that entire island and if u dont work or stay there u cant come over. watch and c

I am glad u posted this moon, i actually watched a dateline on this a few weeks ago. those dolphins u see slpashin up in the waters of these parks and crap come from horrible back grounds. the way they are obtained is grosss and sickening. the region featured was the solomon isles. i am 99 % sure the report said the USA doesnt allow dolphin importation and parks such as sea world etc must rely on breeding of the ones they already have.
capturing dolphins is simply not a clean proffession. the show also talked about how the ones that got away from the capture get all messed becuase dolphins r family oriented creatures. they know when members of the pack are taken and their behavours begin to change.
the person that talked about the backfire, there could be one. The Bahamian gov might not care but let tourist get a whif of it and it wont be good. Many americans have strong feeling about the treatment of animals and i am sure the BA would loose tourism over it. The impact would probably be very small though.
The idea of Atlanta working a deal with Dolphin encounters but u see thats what i hate about big business, why must they compete with every lamb blasted thing. Dolphin encounters is there work out some kind of deal, y build ur own doplin thing? I mean u already makin OOOODLES OF DOLLARS, ur already the star of the bahamas(nassau), give someone else a break.
Who here has been to the atlantis website lately, i aint gonna lie their projects gettin outta order. no lie soon they will own that entire island and if u dont work or stay there u cant come over. watch and c

yeah, and instead of us 'going over to paradise island', we gone be 'going to Atlantis'!

yeah, and instead of us 'going over to paradise island', we gone be 'going to Atlantis'!

Yeah, but as the second major employer in The Bahamas (after the civil service), Sol gat plenty pull. He's got dem votes in the palm of his hand.

Some say that with the rate that developments are being built over there, he soon will be the biggest employer of Bahamians.

Ya'll don't sleep on Sol nah.

Yeah, but as the second major employer in The Bahamas (after the civil service), Sol gat plenty pull. He's got dem votes in the palm of his hand.

Some say that with the rate that developments are being built over there, he soon will be the biggest employer of Bahamians.

Ya'll don't sleep on Sol nah.

:what:

interesting.

Why You Shouldn't Swim with the Dolphins

They don't like it, and you could be hurt. By nature, dolphins are unsuited for captivity, and our desire to swim with them only contributes to their suffering. Dolphins forced to swim with humans have demonstrated agitated and aggressive behavior during these forced interactions.

Swim with the dolphin (SWTD) programs have become increasingly popular; 18 facilities offer this activity in the United States. By contrast, the Caribbean has seen a giant increase in the construction and operation of SWTD facilities in the past decade. Existing or planned SWTD facilities are already in many Caribbean nations, including the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Jamaica.

Many of the customers who visit these programs in the Caribbean are Americans. Because U.S. facilities usually have greater financial resources, meet minimum standards for care and maintenance, and are often considered "state of the art," many Americans have enjoyed the fantasy of connecting with these wonderful creatures, and have therefore sought out SWTD facilities in other areas in the world. However, playing into these fantasies causes great harm.

The very nature of dolphins makes them unsuited to confinement. In the wild, dolphins live in large groups or pods, often in tight family units. Social bonds often last for many years. In some species, they last for a lifetime.

The sea is to dolphins what the air is to birds—a three-dimensional environment where they move up and down and side to side. Dolphins are always swimming, even when "asleep," and they are always conscious. You can imagine the tragedy of keeping these ocean creatures in captivity. Unfortunately, Americans who love dolphins are unwittingly contributing to the animals' inhumane treatment.

Many foreign SWTD facilities acquire or plan to acquire their dolphins from wild captures. Mexico recently enacted a moratorium on wild dolphin captures, which came after a widely publicized and poorly executed capture in December 2000 in which several dolphins were left bruised and bleeding. In fact, one dolphin died five weeks later after being wrested from her home in Magdalena Bay, Baja, California, and put in a pen in La Paz, Mexico. Japan captures dolphins in brutal drive fisheries, where pods of dolphins are herded to shore using boats and loud noise. A select few are sold to dolphin exhibits in Asia and the South Pacific; the rest are slaughtered for their meat.

SWTD programs also pose risks for the swimmers. Dolphins in SWTD programs have demonstrated agitated and aggressive behavior during forced interactions. These behaviors have resulted in serious physical injury to swimmers, including lacerations, tooth rakes, internal injuries, broken bones, and shock.