Dominican Government to prosecute over dolphin imports

Parques Tropicales from Dominican Republic has once again violated CITES regulations.

The company has imported four bottlenose dolphins from Cuba for Dolphin Island Park, opened in 2004 and located just off the Bavaro coast. The facility can only be reached by boat and is owned by Manati Park, a marine park infamous for their miserable treatment of animals and illegal captures.

Environment Minister Omar Ramirez said the imports were illegal as the Environment Ministry had not authorized the import. This is a second offence for Parques Tropicales, last year the company was denied a permit to import dolphins. Previously, Semarena technicians reported the deaths of dolphins used in the tourist facility, as a result of the mammals’ mistreatment in captivity and the last recorded birth was a male dolphin, born on 1 August 2007.

Contrary to the park officials’ current statements, the enclosure based 500m from the coast, measures less than 4.000 square meters, has four small isolation pools and is only 4 meters deep - exposing the animals to low tides and hot sun as there is no shelter.