Another sub standard facility for Sharm el Sheikh?

During a visit to Sharm El Sheikh in December 2005, Marine Connection Captivity Officer, Allan Whaley discovered that another captive dolphin facility was due to open in Sharm El Sheikh within a couple of weeks.

Whaley further discovered that the location was to be the Concorde El Salam hotel in the Sharks Bay district. What made this even more disappointing was that the Marine Connection had been involved in closing this facility previously due to the appalling conditions that the dolphins and sea lions were kept in and their extreme poor health. The dolphins that had been illegally imported to this facility were sent back to their place of origin in May 2005. Since then the Concorde has supposedly spent a considerable amount of money on the facility to meet international guidelines.

The Ministry of Scientific Research a branch of the Egyptian Government carried out a detailed inspection of the new facility towards the end of 2005. They concluded that the size of the pool was 20% smaller then regulations required and that there were no chilling facilities with which to regulate the water temperature.

Allan Whaley commented ‘I was surprised to discover that CITES in Egypt had agreed to the importation of two dolphins from the Ukraine to be used at this facility, especially since in May 2005, the Marine Connection were assurred by fax from Dr El Fellaly, the head of CITES in Egypt that the Egyptian Management Authority for CITES had decided to stop any new permissions for importing marine mammals to Egypt for circus purposes.’

We are now working with the authorities on this matter and will continue to provide updates on developments.