Jo Jo March 2008
On October 5th, local headlines read “$3million Dolphin Park Proposed for Providenciales” and the Turks and Caicos community responded within the week with a petition boasting 800 plus signatures and a comeback headline “PRIDE Questions Dolphin Attraction in TCI.” Many of us believed our current legislation within the Endangered Species Act forbade the import of Cetaceans but new reports have surfaced that these laws have been changed so that Dolphin Cove may open for business on TCI shores.
Jo Jo March 2008
Those that would welcome Dolphin Cove may not understand the truth about dolphins in captivity. To begin to grasp the ethical issues one must first research how these dolphins are forced into captivity in the first place. An eye opening look into that industry is available through the award winning documentary film The Cove. I wrote this post after having seen the film myself, I never imagined such horrors.
PRIDE has written an excellent letter to the government highlighting the historic ways the Turks and Caicos Islands have served as a safe haven for dolphins for decades. Please read the full letter here. Yesterday I wrote my own letter to the governor:
October 31, 2012
To Governor Ric Todd,
I am writing to express my deep disappointment of the change in legislation to allow the import of animals for the purpose of human entertainment. Months ago you took a very brave stand in this country with a push for the advancement of the Equality Bill, surely realizing that you would face controversy and opposition. With that great stride in forward thinking and action, you have now taken a giant leap backward in amending a righteous law to an unrighteous law. I would strongly encourage you to dedicate a few hours on researching the captive dolphin industry. A great resource is the WDC, Whale and DolphinConservation website which posts here
“WDCS believes that the arguments against the confinement of cetaceans are so over-whelming, that any proposal to keep them captive, for whatever reason, should be rejected on animal welfare grounds alone. WDCS has a series of well-substantiated concerns about interactions between humans and dolphins in captivity. These concerns, relating to the welfare of humans as well as dolphins, apply equally to DAT. They include the welfare of the animal; the risk of aggression towards people; the potential for disease transmission from human to dolphin or vice versa; the fact that dolphins may be forced into interactions with humans and have little respite from these actions, and the fact that in so many DAT and other interaction programmes, dolphins are captured from the wild and are transported thousands of miles to suffer the effects of confinement in captivity.
Dolphins are large, strong animals, perfectly adapted to the conditions of the open ocean. Held in a confined space and subjected to forced interaction with humans, aggressive behaviour can have serious consequences. A recent study carried out by WDCS into dolphin/visitor interactions at marine parks in America records many incidents of aggressive behaviour by dolphins towards human visitors such as threats, biting and butting. This study also raises serious concerns regarding the potential for the transmission of disease between human visitors and dolphins. Inadequate regulations exist in relation to interactions between captive dolphins and members of the public. WDCS is bringing its concerns and evidence to the attention of relevant governments and other interested parties, who must address the potential consequences for both human and dolphins of these interaction programmes.”
Dolphins are large, strong animals, perfectly adapted to the conditions of the open ocean. Held in a confined space and subjected to forced interaction with humans, aggressive behaviour can have serious consequences. A recent study carried out by WDCS into dolphin/visitor interactions at marine parks in America records many incidents of aggressive behaviour by dolphins towards human visitors such as threats, biting and butting. This study also raises serious concerns regarding the potential for the transmission of disease between human visitors and dolphins. Inadequate regulations exist in relation to interactions between captive dolphins and members of the public. WDCS is bringing its concerns and evidence to the attention of relevant governments and other interested parties, who must address the potential consequences for both human and dolphins of these interaction programmes.”
If you are a visual learner with a strong stomach I suggest you watch the award winning documentary “The Cove,” which will surely open your eyes to the complexities of this issue. In this country we have a fiercely dedicated environmental community. We know we have one of the rarest ecosystems on the planet and though we are few in numbers, we know the necessary channels to pursue should our arguments fall on deaf ears locally. We desire only positive international media attention for the good of the country but will resort to the opposite should this law not be returned to its former righteous state and the permission to the Dolphin Cove Proposal denied.
Sincerely,
Stacie Steensland-Gaudet
Today, I received THIS response. I plan to drop this letter addressed to planning today, along with another letter opposing the Leeward-dredging-proposal-up-for-consideration. I am asking everyone who cares about our environment and our “Beautiful by Nature” reputation to write their own letters to the Governor and to Planning as soon as possible. Please sign the petition here. Share your opinions and show your support on the facebook page No2CagedDolphinsInTurksandCaicos. To read more about the scientific evidence on why dolphins should not be kept in captivity, see these publications on WDCS. To read the Review of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Proposed Dolphin Park in Hanover by the Jamaica Environment Trust, please click here.
