Former opponents withhold judgment
Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist 29 Mar 10;
Chris Porter, known internationally as a dolphin slave-trader for his lucrative business capturing dolphins in the Solomon Islands and selling them to aquariums in such locations as Dubai and Mexico, says he has had a change of heart and is planning to release his last 17 bottlenose dolphins.
The controversial dolphin broker and marine mammal trainer, who trained Tillikum the killer whale when he was at Sealand in Victoria and then became Vancouver Aquarium’s head trainer, has sold 83 dolphins around the world over the last nine years and drawn the fury of animal- rights groups.
“To be sure, I have a bad name. I have been deemed the Darth Vader of dolphins,” said Porter in an interview.
“But I have decided to release the remaining animals back to the wild. It’s driven by the incident with Tillikum and I’m disillusioned with the industry,” said Porter, who splits his time between Victoria and the Solomon Islands.
News that Tillikum had killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando — the third death connected to the whale — was a shock, showing trainers have been unable to provide for the needs of such an intelligent animal, he said. Another catalyst was the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, which shows the bloody capture and slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
Porter, who previously believed some animals must be captive educational ambassadors for their species, is beginning to doubt the value of shows, where animals are forced to perform tricks.
“Are we really educating and providing the best representation of wild animals in an aquarium?” he asked.
The artificial, sterile environment in which most marine mammals are kept bears little resemblance to their habitat. Killer whales are likely to become frustrated, increasing the chance they will lash out, he said.
But, from the start of the Solomons project, Porter said he saw himself as saving dolphins, which were being slaughtered by the thousands by islanders there, who used their teeth as currency.
Hunters have now been educated to realize there can be a much larger value in dolphins, Porter said.
“When I got there a dolphin was worth $20, and last year dolphins were worth $140,000,” he said.
Porter’s Free-the-Pod venture is likely to have high profile support from some of his former fiercest opponents.
Activist Ric O’Barry, a marine mammal specialist for California-based Earth Island Institute, who, in the 1960s, trained dolphins for the Flipper television series before dedicating himself to freeing captive dolphins, headed to the Solomon Islands this week to assess the Free-The-Pod exercise.
O’Barry, who spearheaded the making of The Cove, said in an interview that given Porter’s reputation, he wants to look at what is planned before throwing his support behind the project.
“I will see. I have an open mind,” he said.
Mark Palmer, Earth Island associate director, said there are questions that must be answered before Earth Island works on the release plan and helps educate local residents about eco-tourism and other alternatives to dolphin slaughter or export.
“Is it real? Are we really talking about the release and permanent end of the capture of dolphins?” he asked.
Although others are capturing dolphins around the world, the closing of Porter’s operation would make a sizable dent in the supply, Palmer said.
Also, there will have to be a health assessment of the animals and an assessment of whether they can adjust to the wild, he said.
If Free-the-Pod looks like a go, Ric O’Barry’s son, Lincoln, will film it for Animal Planet, Palmer said.
The dolphins are being held in a cove and Porter envisages a phased release, starting next month.
“It’s a natural sea-pen and we will start introducing live fish to them and they will be released with tracking devices and a strict follow-up,” he said.
Food will continue to be provided for animals that return.
Dolphin release
The Solomon Star 30 Mar 10;
DEAR EDITOR – The much talked about dolphin release program by Chris Potter is no more than exaggeration.
Is it a total release to the wild or some experiment whereby animals still come into contact and feeding by people?
Mr Potter claimed that the 17 animals are worth USD5 million (SBD 40 million).
That is USD 295,000 (SBD 2.35m) each. Is this true Mr Potter? From Inside information, why did you sell the 28 animals to Mexico for a mere USD 20,000 and the 28 animals to Dubai for USD$25,000 each?
The 18 animals exported to Philippines was sold for around USD50,000. Why has Mr Potter inflated the value? I understand that these animals are only wild caught and not the fully trained first or second generation animals.
I do not understand why Mr Potter has to throw away such a large amount of money in this release experiment (if value is true).
Only worthless commodities you would throw away like that. Is this just to get media attention?
Mr Potter, in this economic climate, Solomon Island needs hard cash and not scientific experiment.
All the boys working at Gavutu still live in traditional leaf houses. The Chief in Fishing Village, Robert Satu, is still in his same old house and not in a luxury mansion.
Some fishermen in Gela still have receipts for unpaid fish that were supplied.
The Adagege community of North East Malaita, that you used their community name to obtain the first provincial fisheries permit, are still waiting for their share. The Fanalei community that supplied some of the animals in the first collect also claimed that they are also waiting.
To me this is only a tactic to raise funds overseas because Mr Potter has no other Markets.
The only person who would benefit is Mr Potter himself. This is similar to the technique used by activists.
The Solomon Islands people and the Government will miss out from the export taxes and logistics spinoffs.
Funds will be paid direct to an account held overseas and I know that a website has already been created.
To me now, Chris Potter no longer serves the interest of our people but only his own interest.
I always wonder if some of these operations can be done locally without any of these suspicious foreign involvement.
Jacob Takisi Soeasi
Ngorobulo/Baba Village
Asifola, Lau Lagoon
North East Malaita
Dolphin release
Solomon Star 1 Apr 10;
DEAR EDITOR – Ocean Embassy has declined to participate in Chris Porter’s Free the Pod campaign, but has offered to work with the Solomon Island Scientific Authority on a management plan for the existing dolphins on Ghavutu Island that could include those animals’ release.
Our decision is motivated by Chris Porter’s reprehensible and irreconcilable actions and behaviour in relation to the Solomon Islands.
Routinely obviating scientific study, national and international marine law, sound animal management practices and ethical human and animal standards, Mr Porter has made any future collaboration impossible, morally and legally.
Most recently and probably the most disappointing event resulted from his recent dolphine collection.
The 17 animals Mr Porter and his company proposed for release were collected from the Solomon Islands Dolphin Abundance Project (SIDAP) study grid, thereby contaminating data and prematurely ending this important research.
This has compromised nearly five years of research and investment of more than USD$350,000. The lead researcher for SIDAP has officially made this determination.
Our decision to decline participation is also based on the collective opinion of our experts with decades of experience in animal rescue, rehabilitation, care and training: the Free the Pod release plan is greatly flawed.
Clearly these animals could not be deemed “released” if human contact and dolphin feeding were allowed to continue as Mr Porter has described.
The Free the Pod plan is not a bona fide release, it is a form of zoological program in that human contact is provided, encouraged, and no effort will be made to encourage behaviours that will allow these animals to survive in the wild.
If the Solomon Islands Scientific Authority rules that a legitimate release is necessary, Ocean Embassy will certainly offer an intervention plan through the Ministry of Fisheries.
The plan would incorporate the most innovative and professional techniques in rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine mammals and the best interest of each animal in mind.
A successful release plan also will require sufficient funding. What happened to Keiko the famed killer whale should not happen to these animals.
Ocean Embassy’s president, Robin Friday, was the director of field operations for the Keiko Reintroduction Project, and I worked alongside him during that difficult time.
Funding was eventually exhausted, and Keiko’s reintroduction program resulted in being cut short prematurely.
Keiko was never able to function in the wild, but rather relied on the handouts of Norwegian fishermen until he died.
It is our understanding that Solomon Island’s Scientific Authority will maintain that future dolphine exports are inextricably tied to the geographical limitations required by a new unbiased scientific study.
These exports also will be limited to a level below potential biological removal standards suggested by international wildlife management guidelines.
In addition, dolphins will only be provided to zoological institutions with documented compliance to high animal care standards.
Ocean Embassy has been working in the Solomon Islands for nearly seven years and invested well over one million dollars to the community, dolphin facility support and employee animal care and behavioral training.
It conducted a successful dolphin transport to Dubai with zero animal mortality, contrary to the fabricated stories of fundraising activitits.
We continue to see a future where limited dolphine exports, local dolphine population studies, new international zoological dolphine experiences and captive studies can result in a sustainable conservation and business initiative for the Solomon Islands.
However, Mr Porter has not followed any recognised standards in the care and management of these resources and has thus compromised the reputation of the Solomon Islands as a responsible steward.
We have a high degree of certainty that Mr Porter has been unable to sell these animals for export and engineered this current scheme to raise alternative income.
Mark Simmons
Vice President
Ocean Embassy
