Dolphins arrive in Cayman Islands

Six dolphins arrived by way of a twin propeller aircraft on the evening of Thursday, 4 December 2008, becoming the first such marine mammals to reach the Cayman Islands. The dolphins were off loaded from the specially equipped plane on to fork lifts and placed into three flat bed trucks provided by Flowers Block trucking company, and delivered to their new home by police escort.

The dolphins could be heard using their trademark high-pitched vocalisations of whistles, burst-pulsed sounds and clicks that are used for communication between the animals as well as echo-location for navigation.

Nearly two dozen of the Mexican national handlers kept the partially submerged dolphins hydrated with pitchers of water in their specially designed plastic tanks. The water was chilled in order to keep their metabolic rate down to calm the animals during their transport from the British Virgin Islands, where they have been quarantined for several months. Click here to read full report

Marine Connection Director Margaux Dodds states "This is a very sad day for everyone who has fought so long to keep the Cayman Islands dolphin free. The Marine Connection will continue to support our colleague Billy Adams' attempts to stop the expansion of these facilities in the Caymans and highlight the situation surrounding their capture to the relevant authorities."

Update 21.12.08
Despite all the hype regarding the opening of Dolphin Discovery, and the owners instance that they have massive support for their venture from the local community, only 50 people attended.
Click here to view a news clip of the "grand opening"

Other Caribbean countries that feature dolphinariums include;

Anguilla Bahamas Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Dominican Republic Honduras Jamaica Puerto Rico The Netherlands Antilles