Makili claims dolphins to Singapore
Solomon Star 9 Dec 08;
A LOCAL environmentalist Lawrence Makili claims the seven dolphins that left the country yesterday were heading to Singapore, not the Philippines.
Local exporter Chris Porter said the consignment, which met all legal requirements, was heading to an oceanarium in the Philippines where they’ll be trained for public programmes.
But Mr Makili claimed his sources informed him the dolphins’ final destination will be in Singapore.
“The exporter needs to be honest about this,” Mr Makili, who’s currently in Fiji attending a meeting, said.
He condemned this latest export, saying it’s a sad day for the Pacific, particularly Solomon Islands.
“I am surprise the Government sees it fit to allow this export while a study to determine the wild dolphin numbers in our waters is still continuing.
“This shows the government does not care four our resources,” Mr Makili said.
Gov’t accused over live dolphin export
Solomon Star 9 Dec 08;
LOCAL environmental campaigner Lawrence Makili accused the Government of allowing the export of live dolphins, as seven bottle-nose species left the country yesterday to the Philippines.
Mr Makili, who is the Pacific’s rep of US-based Earth Island Institue, said the Government acted like a robber by keeping information of the export under wraps.
He said the Ministry of Environment Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources should be ashamed of their action.
“It’s a shameful thing for this Government to continue to show the world and the Pacific its arrogance and stubbornness on this issue,” Mr Makili, who is currently in Fiji, said.
But a spokesman from the Ministry of Fisheries rejected Mr Makili’s assertion the export was kept secret.
“The deal was legal because the Government allowed 100 dolphins to be exported out of the country each year and that was only the first seven this year,” the spokesman said.
Solomon Islands Mammal Education Centre and Exporters Ltd sent the seven dolphins to the Philippines.
The company said the dolphins are being sent to a oceanarium in the Philippines where they’ll be trained for public shows.
But Mr Makili claimed the dolphins will eventually end up in Singapore.
Director of the Earth Islands Institute in the United States Mark Berman said this latest dolphin export will further damage the reputation of the Solomons as a tourist destination.
Meanwhile, Mr Berman claimed a proposed deal by Thailand to buy dolphins from the Solomon Islands had been ceased.
“There was information that a wildlife park in Thailand was going to buy dolphins but due to our strong alliance with the tuna industry of Thailand and the Thailand government, there will be no dolphin exports from Solomons or anywhere else for that matter to Thailand.”
He said Thailand is the world’s largest supplier of tuna to the US and European Union dolphin safe tuna markets therefore their government has stated no live dolphins will be brought into Thailand for any reason.
“Our goal as a NGOs is to continue to halt this disgusting trade in wildlife which only harms dolphins and the Solomon Islands people,” he said.
By EDNAL PALMER
Our 7 dolphins are now in Philippines
Solomon Star 9 Dec 08;
SEVEN Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins left our shores yesterday onboard a 767 freight carrier for the Philippines.
Marine Exports Limited director Canadian Chris Porter said the consignment met all legal requirements both locally and international.
“The transport was legal and approved by CITES, the international body for the protection of endangered species,” Mr Porter said.
UPS, the company that sent its cargo plane to carry the dolphins is one of the world’s largest cargo service providers in the world.
"UPS operated the best well executed dolphin transport that I have ever worked with,” Mr Porter said.
“From fueling the planes to safety and care meetings about the animals, they made me feel confident and secure the seven animals are in good hands.
"As one dolphin is named after my son Noah, this is very important to me," he added.
The seven animals are bottlenose dolphins, one of the many species of marine animals here.
Mr Port said the dolphins were flown to a world class oceanarium in the Philippines where they will be trained further for public display programmes.
Mr Porter and his local business partner Robert Satu said lack of protest during yesterday’s shipment was because of their well executed and open dialogue about their operation.
"The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently released a television documentary on the aspects and issues relating to Marine Exports Limited.
"And today’s transport is very symbolic for the company as it has been seven years that the company has been operational.
"No international proclamations occurred leading to today’s transport of seven animals moved to a Philippines world class oceanarium.
"Our persistence and dedication to our company’s mandate to increase both the financial and conservation value of the dolphins as a natural resource belonging to the Solomon Islands continues to be fulfilled," Mr Porter said.
Last year Marine Exports sent 28 dolphins for the Atlantis Palm in Dubai.
Ocean Embassy, a Company of ex-Sea World personnel, transported the animals 30 hours to Dubai.
The transport was fraught with numerous complaints and protest by Environmental groups around the world.
Government sources said that a levy of over $800,000 was collected from Marine Exports for the export of the seven live dolphins.
Mr Porter stated proudly: “When I first entered Solomon Islands a dead dolphin was worth $150. Next year a live dolphin will be worth over $1,000,000."
Mr Satu added: "This resource is of Solomon Islands and I have proven that the Grass Roots People can accomplish big things with our natural resources.
“I encourage fellow Solomon Islanders to challenge themselves to attain our country’s development dreams."
Meanwhile, the Government is continuing its development of one of the world’s most comprehensive animal management plan for dolphins.
Projects underway include ongoing animal census surveys, traditional hunting database and public education programmes.
Mr Satu said Solomon Islands is the world’s largest natural aquarium.
"I feel privileged that we can share some of its beauty with other countries around the world. Solomons is a very rich country and the dolphins are great ambassadors of that," he said.
More live dolphins exported
Solomon Star 7 Dec 08;
SEVEN live dolphins are due to leave the country today.
Dolphin dealer and one of the Directors of Solomon Islands Mammal Education Centre and Exporters Ltd Robert Satu is again, exporting the dolphins.
Information on whereabouts the dolphins will be exported to, remains sketchy as reports of the export arrangement leaked few minutes before the private jet landed.
However, speaking on anonymity, a reliable airport source revealed that the Boeing 763 jet took a 6 hours flight to Honiara from Pampanga , Philippines and could return the same route.
The source said the jet’s arrival also surprised some of them.
“Usually, aviation and airport officials are informed properly on an arrival of international jets, but the flight just caught some of us by surprise,” he said.
“We’re aware of a private jet coming but the arrival time was not revealed and the next thing customs and other officials did was scrambled as we were warned that the jet was ascending,” he said.
Loading of the seven dolphins was expected to have taken place last night at the domestic terminal, as the flight will leave the country at 9am this morning.
Attempts to talk to Robert Satu last night were unsuccessful.
Solomon Islands banned the live dolphin export trade in 2003 following an outcry over a consignment of 28 bottlenose dolphins to an aquatic park in Mexico .
Activists claim at least nine of the dolphins died in Mexico.
Satu, who was involved in the exports to Mexico, claimed the ban was illegal and won a landmark court ruling last December that paved the way for dolphin exports to resume.
After the court ruling, the government was swift to change its position on the trade.
Fisheries Minister Nollen Leni has said the government would now encourage the capture and sale of up to 100 bottlenose dolphins a year for export, noting that water parks would pay tens of thousands of dollars for a trained dolphin.
The Solomon Islands Mammal and Education Centre Exporters Ltd Company was paid about $769,000 the Mexico export.
In October last year, another 28 Dolphins were exported to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, sparking criticisms from Australia, New Zealand and the world.
By EDNAL PALMER
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Report of a Fact-finding Visit to the Solomon Islands, 9-12 September 2003 (PDF file) by Graham Ross1, Frances Gulland1, Nick Gales, Robert Brownell and Randall Reeves
Environmental Concerns Action Network Of Solomon Islands response to the IUCN REPORT "ECANSI (Environmental Concerns Action Network of Solomon Islands) wishes to place on record the deep concern of this organization over the Report of a Fact-finding visit to the Solomon Islands, 9-12 September, 2003 by Drs Graham Ross and Frances Gulland on behalf of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and the IUCN/SSC Veterinary Specialist Group."
See also
SUFFERING, NOT SMILING: The Truth About Captive Dolphins
A campaign by Acres to raise awareness on the plight of captive dolphins and to urge Singaporeans not to support marine parks and dolphinariums that keep dolphins in captivity.
