 |
| Corbis |
| A bottlenose dolphin in the wild. |
Despite concerns expressed by scientists, conservationists and animal welfare groups, it appears that at least 30 live dolphins could leave the Solomon Islands as early as Thursday of this week, bound for the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) in the Middle East. The captures in the Solomons are inhumane and unsustainable, as no credible science supports the quotas set by the Solomon Islands government.
It was been reported that three dolphins have already died while awaiting shipment.
| Stop the dolphin trade! |
|
Act now to urge United Arab Emirates Ambassador Saqr Ghobash to tell his government not to let the unethical dolphin trade continue. |
The last time live dolphins were exported from the Solomon Islands, in a shipment to Mexico four years ago, an outcry from the public resulted in the Solomons' government banning such trade. But a different leadership is in power now, and both the government and the company that has been holding the captured dolphins, Marine Exports Limited, stand to make a huge profit from the deal with Dubai.
Humane Society International and other environmental groups are promising a strong response if the trade goes through, and have suggested that the Solomon Islands' image with tourists and conservationists could be hurt. Meanwhile, the exporting company is claiming that local "dolphin farms" could help economic development of communities by fulfilling demand in a market that the company would create. Such a prospect threatens untold suffering for hundreds of dolphins.
Humane Society International is communicating directly with the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C., as well as working with other organizations to halt the shipment in Singapore, a refueling stop. We continue to pressure signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to use their influence to stop this shipment of dolphins, which is in direct contravention of CITES requirements. If the shipment does go through, we will continue to work to persuade the UAE government to condemn the trade and possibly even repatriate the dolphins, but at least to use its influence and negative experience to stop any future transports of dolphins from the Solomon Islands to other destinations.
