Palm Atlantis, Dubai

Palm Atlantis is being built on the Palm Jumeirah and is based on the sister hotel in the Bahamas built by Kerzner International. Palm Atlantis in Dubai will feature a very similar swim with the dolphin programme as well as other marine animal and mammal encounters, details of which are as yet unspecified.

Kerzner International have stated that the hotel will contain 65,000 marine animals, "some of which have never resided in the region", in lagoons and displays, including whale sharks and manta rays. This project is being part funded by a company owned by the Dubai government. The new dolphin facility, Dolphin Bay has an 11-acre lagoon featuring three interaction coves, where the animals will be a part of an interactive program for resort guests.

Palm Jumeirah and other coastal developments in Dubai have been criticised by environmental protection groups for changing sea currents, damaging coral reefs, the marine habitat, threatening local marine species and marring the sea view from Dubai's natural beach. As a result of the dredging and re-depositing of sand for the construction, the typically crystalline waters of the gulf of Dubai have become severely clouded with silt. Unfortunately, due to political pressure in the UAE and legal loopholes, developers have been allowed to ignore relevant environmental laws.

October 2007
The Palm Atlantis development imported 28 dolphins taken from the wild population in the Solomon Islands, despite concerns raised by the Marine Connection and other groups worldwide with the Dubai authorities and CITES. These captures were authorised despite the fact that no scientific surveys had been undertaken to assess the population status of dolphins in the waters around these Islands. Under CITES law no captures should be allowed until a NDF (Non-Detriment Finding) has been issued by the exporting country. The Solomon Islands has issued this declaration however, as no peer reviewed population studies have been undertaken the charity is challenging the effectiveness of this NDF.

In the meantime, Solomon Islands based Marine Mammal Education Centre (SIMMEC) director Robert Satu plans to make way for more live dolphin exports to United Arab Emirates as the Solomon Islands sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Arab Emirates Government.

Kerzner International emphasize that their main mission at the Palm Atlantis’ is to ensure that "visitors take away from their time at the centre some understanding about conservation." Conservational value is usually the primary justification given by this type of facility for the display of marine mammals, when in reality there is little or no conservation value to these highly social, wide ranging mammals in a captive environment which bears no resemblence to the varied surroundings they enjoy in their natural habitat.