Thank you for speaking out for Cliffy

The Marine Connection would like to thank everyone who has supported the charity's campaign so far to release Cliffy, the friendly sociable bottlenose dolphin which frequented the area around the Port of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia before being captured in July and taken to Sea World, located on the Gold Coast.

Cliffy, thought to be approximately three years of age, was initially found in March of this year with fishing lines wrapped around his tail fluke which had caused superficial damage to the skin and resulted in the development of a wound. After a six week recuperation period at Sea World to regain his strength, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service insisted that the dolphin be released back into the wild. However, several months later Sea World and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) who are the governing body that has autonomy on all marine mammals in the state of Queensland made the decision to recapture Cliffy to be taken back to Sea World for further rehabilitation because they say the dolphin is having trouble adapting to life back in the wild and was relying on fishermen to feed him. According to others however, Cliffy was also often seen feeding and hunting fish for himself. The majority of people living in the area do not want this dolphin to remain in captivity.

Taking Cliffy into captivity should not be the first and only option for this sociable but wild, free-ranging animal. The dolphin is currently being held at Sea World under a Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit which allows the removal of an animal from the wild for the purposes of rehabilitation only - not long term captivity. Under the Queensland Nature Conservation (Wildlife Management) Regulation 2006, the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) may issue a Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit to a suitably qualified person or organisation. The holder of a Wildlife Exhibitor Licence is taken to also hold a rehabilitation permit for animals of a species identified on their licence.

A Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit allows the holder to remove an animal from the wild for the purposes of rehabilitation without the need for further referral to DERM. Reasons for rehabilitation include where the animal is sick, injured or orphaned. The Queensland Nature Conservation (Administration) Regulation 2006 defines 'sick' as follows: sick, in relation to a protected animal, includes suffering from the behaviour known as human imprinting. The intent of a Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit is that an animal removed from the wild for rehabilitation is returned to the wild once that is complete.

Cliffy is not sick, injured or orphaned. Although it is not usual for these highly social marine mammals to live alone without the company of their own species, there have, and continue to be to this day, many solitary/social dolphins thriving in the wild around the world. According to correspondence, Sea World is planning to introduce Cliffy to their younger dolphins as soon as possible and it is the charity's concern that Sea World may have no intention of releasing this dolphin.

After further investigations into possible options for Cliffy, the Marine Connection has had the offer to release the dolphin to an area that would very much limit his interaction with boats or humans, with the eventual aim being that he is independent of people. Funding is in place, along with experienced marine biologists who would oversee the release programme over a period of time. Although we are concerned for the future welfare and protection of Cliffy, its' vital that he is given the opportunity of living in the ocean again.