Five distressed dolphins rescued in Bahamas, taken to Atlantis’s marine animal sanctuary

By: Staff Writer

May 14, 2024

Five dolphins were rescued from Blackbeard’s Cay/Balmoral Island between May 9 and 10.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources has advised that all five remaining dolphins were rescued from Blackbeard’s Cay/Balmoral Island.

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell said the Attorney General is spearheading efforts to track down and fine the developer of Blackbeard’s Cay, where the five bottle-nosed dolphins needed to be rescued.

Campbell said at a press conference yesterday that the five dolphins, named Pigeon, Justice, Fiona, Diamond and Harry, are all in good condition, despite being slightly underweight. They were transported to Atlantis resort’s Dolphin Cay animal care facility.

“Dolphin Cay is one of the most sophisticated habitats in the world, being the Caribbean’s premier marine life rescue and rehabilitation facility, offering an extraordinary environment and marine mammal interaction program,” said Campbell.

Ric O’Barry, the Dolphin Project’s co-founder and director, told the local media in The Bahamas that the “genie is out of the bottle” with “thousands” purportedly voicing outrage and threatening never to return to The Bahamas after his organisation posted details about the earlier deaths of eight dolphins at the former Blackbeard’s Cay development.

Comparing the situation to food trucks prevented from entering the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the 63-year dolphin veteran said his group is poised to provide the remaining dolphins with food, medicine and upgraded facilities essential to their survival but has yet to receive the Government’s permission to do so.

Asserting that quick action by the Bahamian authorities is essential, Mr O’Barry nevertheless said this nation can “flip this around” and turn negative publicity into positive by publicly pledging to rescue the survivors and transfer them to a purpose-built dolphin “sanctuary” that is fully equipped to cater to their needs (see other article on Page1B).

Pledging that such a facility “will not cost the Government or Bahamian taxpayer anything”, he added that Dolphin Project and its partners would handle construction and raise the necessary financing as it had done in establishing a previous sanctuary in Bali, Indonesia.

Campbell asserts that Dolphin Cay at Atlantis “is a fully licensed and internationally accredited marine mammal facility offering immediate expertise and veterinarian assistance.”

The distressed dolphins’ plight came to the public’s attention after it was found that eight dolphins had died at Blackbeard’s Cay at Balmoral Island. The cay is owned by Samir Andrawos, who was engulfed in bankruptcy proceedings in 2022.

When asked if the ministry had a chance to contact Andrawos, Campbell said he had not done so and is leaving this up to the Attorney General to let the law take its course on issuing fines and any other punitive damages.

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