It is with disappointment and some shame that i report to you of a great tragedy that is beginning to unfold in the waters of Dolphin Bay. The government of Panama has decreed that the capture of live wild dolphins within it’s national waters is perfectly reasonable and should be encouraged by law.
Guess who’s in line with the first and only application - Ocean Embassy Panama, the owners of the dolphinarium being built about an hour outside Panama City. In fact they have already tried to capture wild dolphins on the Pacific side to make into stars of the show at Panama’s new Latin Marineland, but alas the poor bastards died in transit - like they tend to do in cases of wild dolphin capture.
Knowing that very few countries in the world want to be even remotely associated with the idea of captured wild dolphins being trained, put on display and humiliated in such apalling ‘entertainment’ shows, the folks at Ocean Embassy Panama sought to find a place where money would trump ethics, civic responsibility and even basic humaneness.
Apparently, the presidential decree that now allows for the capture of wild dolphins in Panama waters, including Bocas del Toro, opens the door for some rather disturbing business opportunities - selling the captured dolphins into countries that have banned wild dolphin capture and containment.
And now that the venue is built and the first try failed when the ‘batch’ of wild dolphins from the Pacific side died, these arses at Ocean Embassy want to give the Bocas del Toro dolphins a shot at either fame or infamy… it’s like some twisted animal reality show - tune in tonight as two more dolphins get voted out of the seas and into the waiting nets of Dolphin Hunt! Will they survive transport? Can they learn the tricks to get the treats? Is the chlorine too strong? Will one of them attack a trainer? Tune in Saturdays at 4.
Brought to you by Marisco Depot, your one stop marine life superstore!
But really folks the wild dolphins that live in our bay need our help! Without a major international outcry and massive media exposure about what is being allowed to happen off the shores of Panama - our neighbours - the wild dolphins of Dolphin Bay, much like has happened to those captured from the Pacific, will be scooped up and taken to a very likely death or a life spent in an oversized pool, entertaining those neanderthals too selfish to notice that it is a disgusting way to treat other life forms… other rather intelligent life forms that we could probably learn a thing or two from. Like morality… and empathy… and maybe even a little humility.
All of us on the bay are organizing (there is another meeting march 31st in Bocatorito), the boatmen and tour operators are raising a stink, there has been some coverage in the national media here in Panama:
La Prensa - Sat. March 3rd, 2007
La Prensa - Friday February 16th, 2007
La Prensa - Thursday February 15th, 2007
www.thepanamanews.com issue 5
www.thepanamanews.com issue 4
as well as international digital notice:
earthecho.org 1
earthecho.org 2
but the dolphins are no where near out of uh… the woods? yet on this.
Spread the word, repost this blog at other relevant digital places, call any media connections you may have. Most of the world has come to recognize the repugnant nature of these dolphin sideshows, so let’s do what we know to be right - not sit idly by as more wild dolphins are captured and imprisoned just to turn a buck.
other resource sites about dolphins capture and dolphins protection:
dolphins and the law - a worldwide timeline
no more dolphins
captivitystinks.org
marineconnection.org
dolphin capture video from YouTube.com
Posted on Sunday, March 18th, 2007 at 2:54 am
Filed under Swanny's Blog, news and updates.
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