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February 2008
The Marine Connection recently visited Dolphinella. The tortoises are still locked in cages at the front of the facility however the birds that were also in the cage were not there. When asked what had happened to them the management advised us that they had been allowed to fly free as the facility were afraid to keep them due to the danger of bird flu.

Regarding the dolphins, it was concerning to learn that one of the female dolphins is fighting with the other and although she is allowed into the main pool for performances and swim with sessions, she is separated following these to the small holding pool at the side. We discussed this with the trainers and management and were told that she is not being held there permanently, however we argued that should this isolation situation continue it could even make her even more aggressive, and this is something else that we have brought to the attention of the authorities regarding the facility. The good news is that our campaign has raised awareness of the facility in Sharm and a few tour operators are now listening to our concerns and are discussing whether to discontinue sales of this as an excursion. Sadly however despite being aware of our concerns the tour operator which sends the most customers to the facility, Thomson/TUI, are still happy to profit from these dolphins by selling this as a "suitable product" to their customers.

August 2007
As part of our ongoing work in the Red Sea area the Marine Connection constantly monitors planning applications for new facilities. We are delighted to report that the facility being constructed in the same area as Dolphinella which is now near completion is to be a themed aqua park which will not house marine mammals. However, as with any development in this area we will continue to monitor this closely in the future to ensure the situation does not change.

May 2007
Breaking news - Thomas Cook stop promoting Dolphinella
The Marine Connection have received verbal and written notification from Thomas Cook that from 1 May 2007, they have stopped selling and promoting excursion tickets to Dolphinella. We are heartened by Thomas Cook's decision and will continue to attempt to persuade other tour operators to cease promoting and profiting from this facility, including TUI/Thomson who continue to sell this excursion to their customers.

However it appears that having listened Marine Connection concerns over the facility, which have resulted in many changes in conditions for the animals housed there, TUI/Thomson are now saying the rise in standards is actually due to the intervention of the tour operators and they are completely happy to continue selling excursions. It is a pity that TUI/Thomson will not follow the example of their competitors, however it is difficult to persuade a company to adopt the moral high ground when it means that profits may suffer. Unfortuantely it appears that TUI are simply not willing to look at alternatives rather than selling tickets to Dolphinella but that does not mean that the Marine Connection will stop trying to persuade TUI and others who continue to promote this facility to their customers.

March 2007
Our discussions regarding the source of one dolphin in particular (which is listed on the export document as wild caught), continues with both the authorities in Egypt and the managment of Dolphinella. We are also holding ongoing discussions with UK tour operator Thomson/TUI who sell most of the excursion tickets to this facility within Sharm. Thomson continue to feel that this is a "suitable product" to sell to their customers, however we beg to differ and will continue to voice our concerns over the ongoing welfare and source of these dolphins.

October 2006 - investigative visit to Sharm el Sheikh
In October 2006, the Marine Connection visited divers' paradise, Sharm el Sheikh, to follow up on the situation surrounding the controversial dolphinarium, Dolphinella.

Dolphinella
The Marine Connection met with the General Manager of Dolphinella to discuss the facility. We were also able to watch the dolphin show in order to assess the dolphins and their health as well as being shown items such as the filtration system and food preparation area behind the scenes of the dolphinarium. The dolphins still appeared lethargic and listless, not moving for several minutes which is a clear indication of psychological stress. This behaviour is unheard of in the wild where dolphins are constantly travelling, foraging and socialising over hundreds of miles within large family groups called pods.

The Marine Connection will be following up on all the information collected from Dolphinella and will be contacting the new Head of CITES in Egypt, Dr Talaat Sedrak Ghobrial to pursue the fact that Dolphinella is holding a wild caught dolphin.

Sale of Dolphinella excursions
Tour Operator representatives from places as diverse as the UK and Russia were selling excursions to swim with the dolphins and view the dolphin show at Dolphinella. These trips are purchased directly with the Tour Operators representative within hotels where the Operators customers are staying. UK-based companies Thomson (TUI) and MyTravel, which incorporates such companies as Manos and Panorama Holidays, are prolific suppliers of these trips throughout hotels within Sharm el Sheikh.

TUI advertisement for swimming with the dolphins at Dolphinella, October 2006

Another customer-source for Dolphinella is the excursion booths which are situated around Sharm el Sheikh and often affiliated with hotels. For example, Sun 'n' Fun excursion booths are affiliated with the Hilton hotels, and the Jolie Ville Movenpick Resort has a booth prominently positioned on the promenade along the beach at Naama Bay. These retailers have signs and boards displayed for the sale of excursions to Dolphinella along with other trips.

During the inspection of Dolphinella, it became clear that several "guidelines" set out by the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) for its members, which include Thomson and Thomas Cook, were being flouted. To read more about the areas where Dolphinella fails to meet FTO guidelines please click here.

When challenged regarding the fact that Dolphinella held a wild caught dolphin which clearly opposes FTO guidelines, the FTO stated that they would not impose this rule retroactively due to the issues this itself provokes. However, while we appreciate the FTO does not condone the captures of wild animals for captivity, we do feel that their members should not be sending customers to facilities which hold wild caught animals such as Dolphinella.

The Marine Connection will be contacting the FTO and each company noted selling these excursions, informing them of the issues surrounding Dolphinella and encouraging them to cease selling the excursion.

Support
The Marine Connection is overwhelmed by support from businesses in Sharm el Sheikh. Our sincere thanks go out to Camel Dive who are currently displaying a See Red! T-shirt and drink mats featuring the See Red! campaign image in the Camel Bar. Make sure you visit if you are travelling to Sharm el Sheikh in future! We would also like to thank Red Sea College who are giving out See Red! stickers and helping to raise awareness for the campaign.

Please check back here regularly for updates!

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