Letter to Egyptian Ambassador in London

Monday 4 October 2004

Urgent by fax & email (Fax: 020 7491 1542)

His Excellency Gehad Madi
Ambassador
Egyptian Embassy
26 South Street
London
W1Y 6DD

Dear Ambassador

Dolphinella, El Hadaba, Sharm el Sheikh

As director of a UK based dolphin and whale conservation charity, I am writing with regard to the above facility, following many calls of concern from visitors to Sharm el Sheikh.

I attach a copy of my fax sent today to Dr Samy, Head of Management Authority for CITES in Egypt stating our concern for the welfare of the whales and dolphins being held at Dolphinella.

From the contents of my letter and comments to Dr Samy, you will see that there are many questions with regard to the conditions these animals are being subject to, in particular the beluga whales. It would appear that the CITES regulations for conditions at the destination facility are not being met and as such many international animal welfare laws for the keeping of cetaceans appear to have been overlooked before this import was allowed.

This is a very serious concern as these whales should be in water temperatures no higher than 1-2 degrees and are currently in a pool that has a minimum daytime temperature of 25 degrees which is a great danger to the survival of these animals.

International laws have exacting regulations with regard to keeping marine mammals for example;

The Animal Welfare Act states;

3.103 (a)
"Marine mammals shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless the air and water temperature ranges which they may encounter during the period they are so housed do not adversely affect their health and comfort. A marine mammal shall not be introduced to an outdoor housing facility until it is acclimated to the air and water temperature ranges which it will encounter therein."

3.103 (b)
"Shelter. Natural or artificial shelter which is appropriate for the species concerned, when the local climatic conditions are taken into consideration, shall be provided for all marine mammals kept outdoors to afford them protection from the weather or from direct sunlight".

From photographs and video footage it is plain to see that these animals do not have adequate shelter to protect them from the environment - simply a flimsy, muslin type covering to part of their pools. This will very obviously cause the animals great discomfort and be detrimental to their continued wellbeing and survival.

The EU Directive for the keeping of wild animals states;

Article 3:
"Member states shall take measures under Articles 4,5,6 and 7 of the Act to ensure all zoos (facilities) implement the following conservation measures;

•  participating in research from which conservation benefits accrue to the species

•  accommodating their animals under conditions which aim to satisfy the biological and conservation requirements of the individual species, inter alia, by providing species specific enrichment of the enclosures; and maintaining a high standard of animal husbandry with a developed programme of preventive and curative veterinary car and nutrition".

Verbal reports to our charity from visitors to the facility inform us there are absolutely no educational messages or information given to the public when they visit this facility. They are simply there to watch a dolphin show and offered to swim or have photographs taken with the dolphins. There is no conservation value to this facility whatsoever.

This issue is of extreme concern, we believe the whales in particular are suffering in the heat. We have received many comments from divers and visitors to this facility who are appalled at the conditions the animals are being kept in.

You will be aware that Sharm el Sheikh is a diving hotspot, with thousands visiting from the UK and around the world every year. Having had the pleasure of visiting Sharm many times, I am aware that diving and tourism is a valuable and indeed vital contribution to the community, providing work for many local residents, it would be a pity if the reputation of this beautiful destination is marred by one facility.

I would therefore welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the future of these animals and this facility. It is our belief that international animal welfare laws have not been followed and indeed also feel the import permit issued by the CITES regulatory body should be questioned as the destination facility does not provide "fit and proper accommodation for the species" as set out in CITES import conditions.

Thank you for taking the time to read my correspondence and I look forward to hearing from you as a matter of urgency in this regard.

Yours sincerely

Margaux Dodds
Director & Co-founder
(The Marine Connection - UK)