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Captivity News
New DAT facility planned for Turkey
(Added: 09 May 2008)
The Altunyunus Hotel in Çeşme, Turkey has plans to open a dolphin treatment centre in June. Dutch investors are behind the project which will bring patients from Holland to Turkey for Dolphin Assisted Therapy.
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Construction work stops at Dolphin Discovery, Anguilla
(Added: 07 May 2008)
Marine Connection have received good news from the Caribbean. It has been reported that all construction must cease at the new dolphin facility that is being built at Blowing Point in Anguilla.
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Georgia Aquarium plan dolphin exhibit
(Added: 07 May 2008)
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta has expansion plans which include construction of a $110 million (£56 million) dolphin exhibit, which will house bottlenose dolphins sourced from Marineland, Florida.
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Further dolphin captures in Solomon Islands
(Added: 30 April 2008)
Three middle-sized dolphins were caught and brought outside Saru Beach, Baha’i Centre, yesterday afternoon by some fishermen.
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Dolphin dies at Discovery Cove
(Added: 28 April 2008)
Sharky a 30-year-old female dolphin died after colliding with another dolphin during an aerial show trick being performed in front of a crowd a few days ago. Officials said Sharky hit the other dolphin during the show at Discovery Cove and have called this a freak accident, as according to officials 'the animal had performed this trick dozens of times'. The body will be used for research by the park before being disposed of.
Solomon Islands to continue dolphin captures and exports
(Added: 28 April 2008)
The Solomon Islands can continue to export dolphins it has been decided at the latest CITES Animal Committee meeting in Geneva.
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New aquarium plans by Aspro
(Added: 10 April 2008)
Aspro Ocio Group, a Spanish operator with the largest number of leisure parks and centres has acquired Newquay based aquarium operator Blue Reef Leisure.
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Dolphinarium alert for North Carolina
(Added: 28 March 2008)
Newly elected mayor for Greensboro in North Carolina, Ms Yvonne Johnson is interested in opening a dolphinarium which will feature a dolphin show, scuba diving and a research centre.
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Jamaican group threatened with legal action
(Added: 12 March 2008)
The consultants responsible for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Dolphin Cove facility in Hanover, Jamaica have filed a lawsuit against the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), claiming defamation and demanding that a review of the EIA be removed from the JET website.
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Premier puts dolphins before dollars
(Added: 07 March 2008)
The Marine Connection is delighted to report that there will be no capture and export of live dolphins from the Western Provinces of the Solomon Islands. Instead the animals will remain where they belong – in the wild.
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Beluga death 'inconclusive'
(Added: 29 February 2008)
Following the death of beluga whale Marina on 1 December 2007, officials at Georgia Aquarium were expected to release information on the cause of death in February, however despite investigations a spokesperson for the aquarium has stated they can find "no conclusive cause". Marina stopped eating and appeared disorientated before she died and although results from a few tests of samples taken after her death are still to be disclosed, the reason for her death may remain a mystery.
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Busch Corporation cash in on Dubai expansion
(Added: 29 February 2008)
Dubai has a growing greed for the expansion of captive dolphin facilities and it appears that despite international condemnation, the country has no plans to slow down.
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Aruba still considering dolphin facility
(Added: 27 February 2008)
Despite worldwide opposition, De Palm Holdings have not abandoned their plans to build a dolphinarium on De Palm Island off Aruba coast.
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Another beluga whale to face life in captivity
(Added: 15 February 2008)
Quila, a 12 year old beluga whale at Vancouver Aquarium is pregnant. The calf will join its mother and three other beluga whales currently held at the facility.
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Ukraine plan new dolphin facilities
(Added: 30 January 2008)
The Marine Connection has learned that four new marine parks are planned for the Ukraine.
The construction of two facilities has already commenced with two more to follow in the Genichesk region of Kherson province.
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Ukrainian protesters oppose illegal trade in dolphins
(Added: 21 January 2008)
On January 16, 2008 animal protection groups protested outside the Ministry for Environmental Protection of Ukraine demanding an immediate stop to illegal trade in Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates ponticus), highlighting loopholes in existing legislation and corruption within the Ministry that allows these dolphin captures to continue.
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Killer whale dies at Marineland, Ontario
(Added: 17 January 2008)
On 8 January 2008, Nootka (one of Marineland's four killer whales) died. Captured in Iceland in 1979, she spent more than 27 years in captivity and was believed to be around 40 years old when she died.
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Kerala promotes responsible tourism
(Added: 14 January 2008)
Despite having plans afoot to build an oceanarium in the country which will include a dolphinarium, Kerala Tourism is hosting the “Incredible India" Second International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations in March 2008.
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Dolphin death at Brookfield Zoo
(Added: 14 January 2008)
Micco, a 6-year-old bottlenose dolphin died Sunday 14th January at Brookfield Zoo, Illinois.
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Yet another incident at Dolphin Academy
(Added: 14 January 2008)
Marine Connection has just received reports of yet another accident which occurred last week, this time involving seven year old Tela, one of the youngest dolphins at the facility.
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Dolphin dies at Miami Seaquarium
(Added: 11 January 2008)
The oldest dolphin at the Miami Seaquarium, and a resident of the park since 1970, died on Tuesday morning, 8th January 2008.
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Dolphin "accident" at Dolphin Academy, Curacao
(Added: 07 January 2008)
Participants at a swim-with-dolphins session at Dolphin Academy in Curacao on 1 January were horrified when a bottlenose dolphin landed on them.
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New dolphinarium planned for Kerala, India
(Added: 21 December 2007)
The Government of Kerala is planning to develop an Oceanarium spread over 44 acres at New Vypeen in Kochi, South West India on a Public Private Partnership model with an investment of Rs 300 crore (approx. GBP38 million). The proposed Oceanarium which will be launched by 2010 is expected to be the largest in South East Asia.
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Protests over beluga death
(Added: 11 December 2007)
Protesters gathered outside the Atlanta Aquarium on Sunday 11 December following the most recent beluga death at the facility asking people to boycott the aquarium.
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British MP speaks out against Japan
(Added: 06 December 2007)
Greg Knight, MP for East Yorkshire has condemned the barbaric slaughter of dolphins and other small cetaceans carried out every year by Japanese fisherman. Mr Knight has tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling on the British Government and the European Union to make strong representations to Japan is opposing this appalling cruelty. Greg Knight said that Japanese fisherman were, "well known for causing international outrage with their slaughter of whales" and said that the practice of dolphin slaughter was not as well known, but just as barbaric."
Dominican Government to prosecute over dolphin imports
(Added: 04 December 2007)
Parques Tropicales from Dominican Republic has once again violated CITES regulations. The company has imported four bottlenose dolphins from Cuba for Dolphin Island Park, a captive facility located just off Bavaro in Dominican Republic.
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Orca captures planned for Japan
(Added: 04 December 2007)
After a ten year ban, Japan is set to issue a permit to capture orcas again under the pretext of scientific research and education.
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Beluga dies at Atlanta Aquarium
(Added: 04 December 2007)
Marina, a 25 year old beluga whale died at Atlanta Aquarium on Saturday 1 December. According to Jeff Swanagan, executive director of the facility, the animal was showing increased disorientation in her swimming behaviour, then stopped swimming and finally stopped breathing.
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UAE look set to sign deal with Solomon Islands
(Added: 01 December 2007)
Solomon Island based Marine Mammal Education Centre (SIMMEC) director Robert Satu plans to make way for more live dolphin export to United Arab Emirates as the Solomon Islands sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Arab Emirates Government. This comes only a month after SIMMEC exported 28 live dolphins to Palm Atlantis, Dubai.
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Reported second dolphin death at Curacao Dolphin Academy
(Added: 01 December 2007)
Further to our initial report on 27 November regarding the death of one of six dolphins captured from the wild in Cuba which were purchased by this facility, the Marine Connection has received an as yet, unconfirmed report of another dolphin death in Curacao. Tela, one of dolphins at Curacao Dolphin Academy gave birth on the evening of Thursday 29 November, 2007, but the calf was reportedly found dead entangled in the net.
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TV show host swims with dolphins at Atlantis
(Added: 01 December 2007)
Kelly Ripkin, one of the hosts of the American television talk show “Live with Regis and Kelly” swam with the dolphins at Atlantis, Bahamas.
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Taiji dolphins will not go to Dominican Republic
(Added: 13 November 2007)
Thank you to all Marine Connection supporters who contacted President Fernandez about the possible importation of 12 dolphins from the drive hunts in Taiji to Ocean World Adventure Park in the Dominican Republic and we are delighted to report that this transfer has now been stopped.
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Governor has whale of a time at Seaworld
(Added: 09 November 2007)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California and former Terminator star went face-to-face with a killer whale at SeaWorld, San Diego recently.
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Iranian investors fund dolphin breeding station in Philippines
(Added: 30 October 2007)
A PHP2-million initial fund has been put up by Iranian investor Foad Akhavan to start a dolphin breeding facility on Balut Island in Sarangani province in the south Philippines. The project will be put up in a 15-hectare facility, and another PHP50 million will be invested when the dolphin breeding starts.
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Another orca death and Seaworld
(Added: 21 October 2007)
Taku, a male killer whale at Sea World died on Wednesday 17 October, 2007. According to reports he had received antibiotics few days prior to his death, due to a ‘slight infection’.
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Solomon Islands dolphins headed for UAE
(Added: 15 October 2007)
Despite continued attempts to address our concerns with CITES authorities in the Solomon Islands, Dubai and the Secretariat in Geneva, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins which are currently held in crowded, shallow pools on the island of Gavutu, are to be flown to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this week.
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No captive dolphins for Napier Marineland
(Added: 15 October 2007)
The Marine Connection would like to congratulate Mrs Barbara Arnott on being re-elected for another term as a Mayor of Napier. Mrs Arnott was re-elected with a big lead over her rival, Clifford Church, whose main campaign plank had been acquiring dolphins and upgrading the marine zoo, at an estimated cost of $15 million. Marineland, which has just one elderly dolphin, is losing money and was Napier's biggest election issue. Mr Church received a lot of publicity for his stance, but failed to gain a place on the council. Mrs Arnott said the city's most obvious issue was expanding the Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery and was quoted as saying " I don't think that putting dolphins in a pool does anything for education, I personally think the country has moved on from that."
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Are Solomon dolphins headed for Dubai
(Added: 12 October 2007)
The Marine Connection has been alerted to rumours that up to 30 live dolphins will be exported from the Solomon Islands to the Middle East next week, four years after the last shipment to Mexico caused international outrage and despite the Solomon Islands becoming members of CITES in June this year.
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