Here in my country (Dominican Republic ) we have 2 aquatic parks . Manati Park at Bavaro on the east and Ocean World at Puerto Plata on the north coast , the most tourism intensive zones .
Manati Park is owned by an spaniard corporation and the condition of his dolphin shows are a real disaster . All the local enviromental organizations are putting a real fight against them and up to now we have a little success . First we stop them from capturing dolphins from our coasts ( they captured their first dolphins from a national park waters ) and recently the enviromental ministery cancelled a import permit that they intend to use with some dolphins from Cuba .
Ocean World is owned by a german family and although they have better and bigger instalations , they are trying to import 12 dolphins from Japan , directly from the institution behind the masssacre in the coastal town of Taiji, Japan.
The conservation groups in our country are starting to create a campaing against this action . Is not an easy task because both companies generate huge profits and have enough power and influences with corrupt politics to operate and the media to clean their images .
The boats going to Silver Banks are departuring from the Ocean World's dock , that unfortunately is the only one in decent conditions at Puerto Plata . If it happens that some of you are going to Silver Banks this season , please try to not spend your money at Ocean World
Please read the following article and more important see the linked video posted by Save Japan's Dolphins coalition .
What a shame !!!!!!!!!![/b]
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Dominican Republic to Import 12 "Show" Dolphins from Japan Slaughter Pens
Aquarium Industry Subsidizes the Japanese Dolphin Slaughter
WASHINGTON - January 18 - Environmental organizations revealed today that
two American aquarium specialists are poised to transfer of twelve
bottlenose dolphins from Japanese slaughter pens to a Dominican Republic
aquarium, Ocean World Adventure Park.
The environmental groups of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition are attempting
to stop transfer both because it is grossly inhumane and because it violates
provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES). The twelve dolphins are being held in Taiji, Japan pending the
granting of import permits to the Dominican Republic. Stefan Meister, (a
German national and vice president of the Ocean World Adventure Park in the
Dominican Republic), Dr. Michael Briggs DVM, (an American citizen associated
with the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago), and Dr. Ted Hammond, (an American
dolphin dealer and marine mammal veterinarian) are brokering the sale and
transfer of the twelve dolphins.
The Save Japan Dolphins Coalition has obtained rare broadcast-quality video
footage of the cruel, bloody capture of these twelve dolphins in Japan's
waters in the port of Taiji.
"This was one of the most violent dolphin captures that I have ever
witnessed in my 45 years of working with dolphins," said Richard O'Barry, a
marine mammal specialist with the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition. "12
dolphins out of the pod were manhandled out of the water only to be isolated
from their pods mates as those pod mates were butchered. And I saw aquarium
representatives help with the killing as well as the captures."
Japan kills more than 20,000 dolphins annually, most of which are butchered
for sale in meat markets. Coalition representatives claim that the
international aquarium industry subsidizes the slaughter by paying $45,000
(US) or more for prime dolphin specimens for dolphin shows and
swim-with-dolphins programs.
Ric O'Barry continued: "If the international aquarium industry ceased buying
dolphins from the slaughter pens, the dolphin slaughter would be crippled,
as dolphins sold for meat on the market only bring the equivalent of a few
hundred dollars."
"We are calling on the Dominican Republic's President, Mr. Leonel Fernandez
Reyna, to immediately block import of the 12 Japanese dolphins into the
country," said David Phillips, Director of Earth Island Institute's
International Marine Mammal Project. "It would be unfortunate to have the
Dominican Republic's reputation as a environmentally friendly tourist
destination wrecked by subsidizing the Japanese dolphin slaughter."
The Save Japan Dolphins Coalition is a group of four environmental and
animal protection organizations – In Defense of Animals, Animal Welfare
Institute, Earth Island Institute, and Elsa Nature Conservancy of Japan –
dedicated to ending the slaughter of dolphins authorized by Japan's
Fisheries Agency.
Visuals: Broadcast quality video of Japan's brutal capture of bottlenose
dolphins available.
Footage sample available for viewing at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCx0ORuDZFE
Further info on the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition is available at:
www.SaveJapanDolphins.org
