BREAKING: Rescued Dolphin Johnny Gets 22 New Teeth! The thought of freeing Rocky and Rambo and having to leave Johnny behind—and in isolation—was unbearable for all of us. But what could we do? Johnny’s teeth were worn down to the gums. He couldn’t catch fish properly. So we got busy, we got creative. “Leave no dolphin behind” became our new mantra. And we turned Johnny into a bionic dolphin! Read the incredible story of Johnny’s transformation by clicking the link in my bio, or visit: DolphinProject.com
(Turn up sound) Hunting with Sonar Once Again: We don’t feed the dolphins in the foraging pen. They feed themselves. The village fishermen simply introduce live fish into the pen during the night. In the morning the dolphins enter the pen and they must locate the fish, chase them down and feed themselves. Many times they work together to accomplish this. The three dolphins have returned to the same “cooperative foraging techniques” their mothers taught them. The dolphins used these same techniques successfully everyday before they were captured and dumped into a hotel swimming pool. Listen to them stun the fish with their sonar. They could never do this in the hotel swimming pool for those ten long years of brutal captivity. To watch them work together as a team catching fish is a beautiful thing to behold. (Video by Gede) #umahlumba #emptythetanks
Update on Orca Morgan by Helene O’Barry: Morgan is believed to belong to a community of orcas in Norway. She somehow became separated from her pod and was found alone and malnourished off the coast of the Netherlands in June 2010. She ended up at Harderwijk dolphinarium and was held there for over a year. In November 2011, after a Dutch court decided that returning Morgan to her family was not an option, Morgan was sent to Loro Parque’s orca stadium on the Spanish island of Tenerife. She has lived here since then and performs daily in front of mainly European holiday makers. In September 2018, Morgan gave birth to a daughter, named Ula, but the calf died just short of her third birthday in August 2021. *Visit www.DolphinProject.com to learn more about Morgan’s sad life at Loro Parque.* Image by Helene O’Barry #emptythetanks
This is Worth Repeating: “You cannot heal in the same environment that made you sick”- (Unknown author) This applies to captive dolphins too.🐬 🐬 🐬 The only way to heal captive dolphins is to first—empty the tanks—and remove them from the toxic environment that made them sick in the first place. Once they are relocated to natural seawater, and exposed to tides, currents, live fish and a more normal environment, the healing process can begin. Our job is to turn the dolphins over to Mother Nature and let her do her thing. And that’s exactly what we did with Johnny, Rocky and Rambo. And yes, of course there is more to it than that, which will be explained in detail later on. The important thing is the dolphins are now healed. Next step is to return them to their natural environment. We’re just waiting for government approval. (Photo by Gede) #emptythetanks #UmahLumba
Under the Sea: Father and daughter quality time.
Sometimes you gotta just get away from these stressful dolphin issues and do something else to clear your mind. So the family and I went for a little bicycle ride . What a thrill. The bicycle tires and tubes were removed from the rims, and now the naked metal rims fit perfectly on a high wire. So, all Mai Li and I have to do is stay focused and well balanced while constantly peddling the bicycle across the high wire which is suspected 500 feet in the air across a spectacular valley of rice fields in Ubud,Bali. And yes, we have a safety cable attached. Bicycle riding in the sky, what could be better? (Video by Helene O’Barry) #umahlumba
Let’s Ban the Traffic of Dolphins in America 🇺🇸: We have a new petition asking Congress to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The goal is to outlaw the import/export of dolphins in or out of the United States. The petition is now live on the website: www.DolphinProject.com Please Sign and Share!
Buyer Beware: Tuna contains high levels of mercury and other dangerous contaminates. There is no safe level of mercury. Don’t buy it. Don’t eat it. It’s poison. And please don’t believe the so-called “Dolphin Safe” labels. They lie. Those labels are nothing but a money making marketing scheme💰—They should be banned. Unfortunately the system does not work for the consumers, it only works for the corporate greed mongers who control the system. Fact is, the corporate lobbyist lead and the politicians follow. #dolphinproject #seaspiracy
BREAKING: Freedom Imminent for Rescued Dolphins The dolphins are ready. Our round-the-clock team of caregivers are ready. And now, approximately three years since their rescue, Johnny, Rocky, Rambo are going to be given the option of returning to life in the wild. Read more by clicking @dolphin_project’s link in my bio. #UmahLumba #BKSDABali #dolphinproject
UPDATE: Johnny’s Doing Great! Thankfully, there was no pain involved in this dental procedure. Our illustrious marine mammal veterinarian team drilled into a part of the tooth that no longer had nerve endings. X-rays were done beforehand to make sure Johnny’s teeth were suitable for this procedure, and that it would not be painful for him. He actually seemed to enjoy the interaction. Understandable too, as captivity is extremely boring. Yes, it’s a sanctuary but it is still captivity. Freedom is much more interesting. Learn more about Johnny’s life-changing procedure at bit.ly/DolphinJohnny #DolphinProject #umahlumba
Be a rockstar like Harry O’Barry and wear a cool Dolphin Project T-shirt 😎 Available at: @animalcrackers.bali Jalan Pantai Pererenan No. 115 Badung, Bali, Indonesia 🇮🇩 Or online at dolphinproject.com
Big protest happening today in Belgium 🇧🇪. Won’t you join in? Best way to create a “Dolphinarium Free Europe” is to show up for the various dolphinarium protests in Europe! The animal rights group, BiteBack will be at the gates of Boudewijn Seapark again today. My intention was to join them for this protest, unfortunately I’m not able to travel again until I get a much needed COVID🦠 booster shot. Boudwijn is the last dolphin Abusement park left in Belgium. It will fall if enough people show up to help BiteBack with the protest. I’ll be joining them later on when it’s safe for me to travel again. Meanwhile, I’m hoping all of the activists in the Belgium area will hop on a train and head over to Boudwijn Park today and let them know how you feel about Dolphin Abusement Parks in Europe. #BiteBack #dolphinproject #emptythetanks
Great RESPECT for all the brave Japanese citizens who showed up at the cove to protest the annual Taiji dolphin slaughter. It WILL end when enough Japanese citizens rise up against it 🇯🇵 I’m very encouraged!
PLEASE SHARE: We enthusiastically support the SWIMS Act! We hope YOU will too. If passed, the SWIMS Act would amend the USA’s Marine Mammal Protection Act to include a ban on taking, importing, or exporting orcas, beluga whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales for public display. It would also amend the Animal Welfare Act to ban the breeding of those species for public display! We’ll be sure to post updates! Find more ways you can help #EmptyTheTanks at bit.ly/HelpSaveDolphins #DolphinProject #SWIMSAct
It was a beautiful thing, a soft release. But too early to celebrate. We have successfully completed steps one, two, and three. We are just beginning step number four. So, the work isn’t over yet and we are cautiously optimistic. Step 1: Confiscation Step 2: Rehabilitation Step 3: Release Step 4: Tracking
Let’s abolish the dolphin slave trade in Belgium once and for all. We can do this with enough cooperation. Please stay tuned on how to accomplish this important goal 🇧🇪 #emptythetanks #BiteBack
Happy World Ocean Day from Umah Lumba! We’re doing our small part to heal the planet by emptying the tanks and putting the dolphins back into the ocean where they belong. 🐬 🐬🐬 Photo by Lincoln O’Barry #dolphinproject #jakartaanimalaidnetwork #emptythetanks #umahlumba
When your kids grow up, move away and start sending back photos of their new tattoos (omg!). This new one is about the schooner William H. Albury. She is the last Bahamas schooner 🇧🇸 She was built in Man-O-War Cay, Abaco, Bahamas Islands. Many wonderful memories of halcyon days at sea aboard this beautiful sailing vessel. Best boat ever! (The traditional style dolphin tats are from the Solomon Islands.)
Everyday is National Dog Day in our home. Outside the home too. www.TheBaliStreetDog #nationaldogday #balistreetdogs
richardobarry A Photograph of Halcyon Days: I was invited to go diving with these young lads. We sailed from Coconut Grove, Florida🌴to Bimini, Bahamas Islands. While underway, the boys did a photo shoot for this album cover with Joel Bernstein. (I’m hiding just under that hatch during the shot) We sailed aboard the Schooner William H. Albury. She’s the last Bahamas schooner, built in Man-O-War Cay, Abaco. And she’s the most beautiful sailing vessel in the Bahamas 🇧🇸 The Albury was owned by Captains Joe and Barbara Maggio and family. It’s hard to believe 45 years have passed since this voyage across the mighty Gulf Stream. These were halcyon days, full of sunshine, family and friends. And by the way, If it wasn’t for the generosity of these guys the Dolphin Project would have died on the vine fifty years ago. They saved our ass more than once. Dolphin Project is forever grateful. We are still alive, fighting the good fight more effectively than ever! “Photographs and memories is what we end up with”—Ric O’Barry (Photo by Joel Bernstein) #dolphinproject #CrosbyStillsNash
Freedom is About Choices and Decisions: Captive dolphin rehabilitation and release is still in it’s infancy. It’s a job for pioneers, and there’s an unexplored grey area between total freedom and semi-captivity that needs to be researched. We’re doing that. Captive dolphins are not all the same. These are not cookie cutter dolphins. Each and every dolphin is a unique individual. Their experience with humans while in captivity was not exactly the the same. This is true whether they were captured or captive born. We are researching and exploring various possibilities, considering various options and solutions for the dolphins in our care at UmahLumba. Pretty exciting stuff! 🐬🐬🐬 #umahlumba
By Helene Hesselager O’Barry Field Correspondent DolphinProject.com Something quite amazing has happened: We have found a true hero in the Faroe Islands. We are all so used to hearing that Faroese people view the pilot whale slaughter as a valuable tradition and an indispensible part of their culture. I have often wondered if all Faroese people really felt this way? During my conversations with the Faroese, I have come to learn that many of them are in fact against the pilot whale slaughter, but they are too afraid to express their opinion, out of fear of being ostracized from their community. (Just like in Japan!) We have been wishing for so long to find someone who had the courage to defend the pilot whales openly. And now we have. Or rather, he found us. He approached us at the Hvonn Brasserie in Torshavn and told us he had seen The Cove movie and recognized Ric. He introduced himself as Ingi Sørensen. A professional diver and talented underwater photographer. Ingi has developed a true appreciation for Faroese marine life, including pilot whales…. FULL STORY AT: DolphinProject.com
The outrigger boats of Bali are absolutely stunning. #umahlumba #baliboats
Sanur, Bali: You too can become a Trash Hero! Come on down, show up at the beach today and get your hands dirty 🏖 Other ocean lovers will be there cleaning up the environment and making it beautiful! Real activists always show up🌴Be one too. #umahluumba #trashheroessanur @dolphin_project
