Captive dolphins: new location found

The news about the four bottlenose dolphins kept in a tiny swimming pool in Hurghada.

Sorry for keeping you waiting but the last couple of days have been pretty hectic and nerve-wracking in finding the best solution for the dolphins. More than 20 meetings happened with all the major authorities in Egypt , among whom, the Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, the mayor of Hurghada and the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, as well as with important international specialists and organizations working with dolphins all around the world.

We have definitely good news:HEPCA finally found a proper destination for the dolphins and most importantly, granted all the permissions required to move them away from their initial, unacceptable location.

In the next days they will be transferred to an artificial saltwater lake in Sahl Hasheesh, where they will spend the rest of their quarantine time (about 2 months). The machinery needed and a brand new pump and water circulating system, will be moved to their new accommodation to make sure the dolphins will get all the technical support for improved living conditions.

In cooperation with Whale and Dolphin Conservation society and Marine Connection, HEPCA is currently testing the water quality and condition of the lake. This is to assure that there is no risk for the four individuals and in particular none for the marine life of the Red Sea, due to the fact that the dolphins are not coming from the Red Sea but from waters around Japan. A veterinarian working with dolphins since a long time is expected to arrive soon to check the four animals and make sure that they are healthy enough to survive the transportation, and that the transfer itself will be conducted in a safe way.

Once moved, the dolphins will be under constant supervision. The area will be closed down to the public to ensure that curious people and media will not stress out the dolphins to any further extent.

Now that a big and common effort has been made to improve as much as possible the quality life of the four dolphins we need to continue our battle against the dolphinarium industry together. We are proud to announce that Ric O’Barry contacted HEPCA and immediately decided to join and support our battle. For whoever is not familiar with this man, let us remind you that O’Barry used to be the trainer in the famous TV series “Flipper” and is nowadays known to be one of the most famous activists in combating the captivity industry. He became especially well known after being featured in the award winning documentary “The Cove” in 2009. O’Barry will arrive in Hurghada on Sunday to help us raising public awareness about the cruelty of the dolphinaria and the need to stop this inhuman activity.

Dolphinaria are devastating not only for the captive dolphins but especially for the dolphins living in the wild. Why? Because the brutal dolphin hunt drive and slaughter that take place every year in Japan (www.thecovemovie.com) and in other area worldwide is not done to ensure fresh dolphin meat for the market. The selling of dolphin meat does not generate enough money to keep this practice alive. The main income of this massacre is coming from the selling of survived dolphins to delphinaria and Aquatic Marine Park. Those few animals escaped from the butchery are usually young individuals separated prematurely from their mothers and from their natural environment, forever.

So remember: if we do not stop dolphinaria, the kill of thousands of wild dolphins will still continue!

HEPCA in cooperation with Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and Marine Connection started a petition to bring an end to the dolphinarium industry in Egypt!

We need all your support to succeed in implementing new laws to stop this heartless, profit-oriented industry!

Please, go to www.thepetitionsite.com/16/stop-dolphin-captivity-in-Egypt and sign our petition to prevent cases like the current one from ever happening again! Let us make a difference and take care that these beautiful, intelligent marine mammals stay, where they belong to: the sea!