Calf is second death within a week at Curacao Dolphin Academy

The Marine Connection has been advised that Tela, one of dolphins at Curacao Dolphin Academy gave birth on the evening of Thursday 29 November, 2007, but the calf was found dead entangled in the net. Tela, an 8 year old female arrived to Curacao Dolphin Therapy and Research Centre from Roatan in 2003, and was last transferred to Dolphin Academy where she participated in swim-with programmes and shows. The cause of death is still unknown.

If true, this is a second dolphin death at Curacao this month, after one of the bottlenose dolphins held in Sea Aquarium, Curacao died last Saturday 24 November, (see news item below). This dolphin is believed to have been one of six wild caught dolphins imported to Sea Aquarium from Cuba. When controversial importation of Cuban dolphins became public, Dolphin Academy dissociated itself from the Sea Aquarium due to “immoral Cuban imports”. This is not completely true however, as Mr Adriaan Schrier, the owner of Sea Aquarium is also the managing director of Dolphin Academy.

In the meantime Teresa, a 14 year old dolphin gave birth on Sunday 14 November, the calf has not yet been named but the staff are said to be 'carefully optimistic about hte future of the little one'. The calf will join the group of 8 animals that participates in several swim with and interaction programmes at this facility.

Dolphin Academy is also involved in the “Year of the Dolphin 2007” initiative through Dolphinfund partnership, whose mission is “to support new and promising marine mammal conservation initiatives”. Janja Novak, Campaigns Development Officer comments: ” It is absurd for Dolphin Academy to advertise its extraordinary efforts to stop unnecessary capture of dolphins for the dolphin industry, when its “sister” facility has just purchased wild caught animals. This again shows that captive populations are simply not self-sustainable. If they were, wild captures would not continue to happen.”

Dolphin death at Curacao

One of the bottlenose dolphins held in Sea Aquarium, Curacao died on Saturday 24th November, 2007.

Rene is believed to have been one of the six wild caught bottlenose dolphins imported from Cuba earlier this month. The exact cause of death is still unknown however, the Marine Connection has written to officials stating our concern over the death and the welfare of remaining animals at the facility asking for their comments on exact cause of death when all necropsy tests are finalised.

If this young dolphin is one of the animals from Cuba, it means that the captivity industry are guilty yet again of removing a fit, young animal from the wild only to die a premature death in captivity.