BREAKING: Orcas trapped in ice in Northern Japan. Tuesday (Feb 6) morning local time, the Rausu Coast Guard received a report of a group of orcas trapped in drift ice off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido. As reported by Kyodo News, a representative said, “There is no way to rescue them as the ship cannot get close enough to them.” Later reported by Yahoo News, Tuesday afternoon local time, the orcas were no longer visible by local monitors.
Death of a Legend: I wrote something about Alexey Navalny and corruption today. Mr. Navalny was a very effective anti-corruption whistleblower in Russia. I posted the piece on my Facebook page. It’s too long for Instagram, and it’s too important to shorten for Instagram. Let’s honor Alexey Navalny by exposing corruption in our own Animal Welfare Industry.
Sign the petition at: dolphin.fyi/CancelSeaquariumLease — or go to DolphinProject.com (link in bio) From 2021 to 2023, numerous USDA inspection reports cited serious problems at Miami Seaquarium. These allegedly include: – severely cutting the diets of nine dolphins at Miami Seaquarium’s Dolphin Harbor for the purposes of ensuring the animals performed better for guest interactions, – visibly emaciated dolphins, with prominent muscle wasting and palpable scapula and ribs, – gastrointestinal abnormalities amongst the dolphins, including multiple instances of excessive regurgitation, – multiple aggressive incidents against trainers, and even members of the public, – potentially placing incompatible animals together resulting in the injuries and/or deaths of cetaceans and pinnipeds, – poor water flow leading to an increase in bacteria and algae in several tanks and pools, – poor-quality fish fed to marine mammals which could result in illness and/or death, – insufficient shelter to protect the mammals from direct sunlight Enough is enough. Help us ask the Mayor of Miami-Dade County and Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners to cancel Miami Seaquarium’s lease. In this day and age, Miami doesn’t need captive dolphins. #DolphinProject #ThanksButNoTanks
We are going out to sea and join the whales and dolphins. Won’t you join us and Captain Dave’s Whale and Dolphin Safari’s. Details at DolphinProject.com
Hit the Road Jack: Miami-Dade County moves to evict Miami Seaquarium, gives park until April to vacate. Full story at DolphinProject.com
THE LAST SEAQUARIUM PROTEST? Please SHOW UP and join me and Dolphin Project for an IMPORTANT protest outside of Miami Seaquarium on April 14, 2024 at 12:00pm 📢🐬 RSVP and event details at: https://fb.me/e/3xqEiAiqr We are asking that the lease termination be UPHELD and the dolphins be retired. Please join us and let’s remind Miami-Dade County and The Dolphin Company that the show is over. It is time to empty the tanks at Miami Seaquarium! #DolphinProject #ThanksButNOTanks
Taiji: We are still up against an appeal the town of Taiji made on a ruling by Wakayama District Court over the redaction of information from public documents (sales contracts, invoices, export documents, and inventories for live cetaceans). ⚠️ Your support is urgently needed to continue to legal front in Japan: https://bit.ly/48DZsXT — or go to DolphinProject.com to DONATE The fight to abolish the defend Taiji’s dolphins and end the captive trade lies both in changing public opinion (both within Japan, and globally) and achieving favorable legal outcomes. Dolphin Project, along with its Japanese counterparts, believe these are the most productive and viable solutions. Together with Life Investigation Agency (LIA), Dolphin Project has several lawsuits in litigation in Japanese courts, in addition to this one.
EXCLUSIVE: Miami Seaquarium trainer shares moment he decided to ‘tear industry down’ after dolphin died in his arms. *Read more by visiting Dolphin Project’s website at: DolphinProject.com — Media — Featured Press. — https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/miami-seaquarium-trainer-shares-moment-32396344
Hippies in Paradise: Mashta Island, Key Biscayne, Florida. 1972. The First Dolphin Sanctuary Ever: Linda Dow and Bill Durham were the security team (with nothing to secure) on this peaceful land. They slept in a small open-air platform style tree house they built in the beautiful mangroves on the seven acres overlooking Biscayne Bay. Those were the days my friend, we thought they would never end… VW campers, guitars, bongos, bicycles, campfires, friends and family. Bill is teaching @miamimeditation and yoga on the Island these days, he will be joining us at high noon in front of the Miami Seaquarium this Sunday, 14th of April. (I’m hoping Linda is reading this and shows up too) How about you? Won’t you join Bill and some of the others on Team Dolphin Project? We’re talking about emptying the tanks here, folks! #emptythetanks #letsprotectdolphinstogether MiamiMeditationCenter.org
When the music stops and the show is over, spectators leave the theater and move on to their next holiday adventure. Morgan, Keto, and Loro Parque’s other captive orcas are stuck in these tanks and never get to leave: New Blog at DolphinProject.com — https://bit.ly/4844s7C Photo: Helene O’Barry #DolphinProject #ThanksButNoTanks
A new blog by Helene O’Barry on our website: DolphinProject.com It’s about a momma dolphin named Veera who was captured in Pine Island, Florida by Jay Sweeney and Dolphin Research Center (DRC). The dolphins were trucked from the capture site to DRC for training. They were being prepared for a job in show business. Eventually, Veera and the other victims were trafficked to Finland by Sweeney and DRC. We met Veera years earlier in Finland during a protest. Veera and I are both Floridians. In this video she is in a small stadium tank at the Attica Zoo in Greece—this was before she was shipped off to yet another concrete tank in Europe. Diehard dolphin trainer, Steve McCulloch of Dolphins Plus, a “swim with captive dolphins” tourist trap in Key Largo. McCulloch hauled the dolphins into Greece from Finland. My family and I were at the Attica Zoo attending meetings with the owners to discuss the possibility of creating a sanctuary in Crete, Greece for Veera and the others. And while we were trying to empty the tanks at the zoo and create a proper sanctuary, McCulloch was there earlier filling the same tanks with yet more captive dolphins. Back in the 1980’s Jay Sweeney and DRC worked together on capturing, selling, training and the trafficking of Florida dolphins to Europe. All of the original captive dolphins in Europe came from Florida or Cuba. These are warm water dolphins. Veera was eventually shipped out of the Attica Zoo, dragged kicking and screaming to yet another concrete tank, this time in Italy—separating mother and son forever. Veera died less than a year later in the last concrete tank that would hold her. Call me anthropomorphic, but I believe Verra died of a broken heart. 💔 Veera’s son is still in the Attica Zoo stadium preforming for tourists even though animal shows are banned in Greece. Veera should never have been separated from her child. Actually, she should never have been captured by DRC and Sweeney. Shame on Sweeney. Shame on DRC. Shame on the Attica Zoo. Shame on McCulloch, and all the sleazy dolphin dealers who fly under the radar while shuffling dolphins from tank to tank. #emptythetanksworldwide. *Helene’s BLOG at DolphinProject.com
Taiji: Cove Monitor Russ is in Taiji and documented a gruesome striped dolphin slaughter today. 14 beautiful dolphins including 1 juvenile were driven into the Cove. While trapped and being pushed towards the killing area, the dolphins panicked. Several were trapped in the nets as they desperately tried to escape. One bleeding profusely while struggling. When the divers finally came to untangle the dolphins, they escorted them under the tarps to be brutally slaughtered. The entire pod was slaughtered, tossed into skiffs and carried to the butcher house. A very sad and brutal day. February 7, 2024 #DolphinProject #LifeInvestigationAgency
I’m going back to the Seaquarium for the last time. Will you please show up and stand by me? Together we will remind the City of Miami politicians that we are watching. We are expecting them to follow through and #emptythetanks
It’s a special day for the critters. Take a dolphin to lunch or something… 🐬
This too is Direct Action! Great Respect for Mister Gilmore. He’s a Real Environmental Activist/Hero: David Gilmour, the iconic guitarist and vocalist of Pink Floyd, is known not just for his musical talents but also for his philanthropy. One interesting fact is that in 2019, Gilmour auctioned off more than 120 guitars from his personal collection and raised $21.5 million. He donated the entire proceeds to ClientEarth, a charity that fights climate change. This auction included the sale of his legendary Black Strat, which alone fetched nearly $4 million, making it one of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction.
Happy Birthday to my lovely Danish bride. Best activist ever! @heleneobarry ❤️
Nephele, the oldest dolphin at Kolmården’s Zoo in Sweden has died after suffocating on artificial seaweed which became trapped in her throat. The tragic incident took place in the middle of January of this year, according to Daniel Rolke, who is founder of the Swedish organization Animalkind. Full story and photos by Helene O’Barry at DolphinProject.com *Click on: LATEST NEWS
Taiji: With about a month and a half left in the drive hunt season, the hunt still seems to be far below quota. Taiji’s dolphin drive hunt season runs from September 1 to March 1 each year. Live-captured dolphins sold to aquariums sell many times more than what dead dolphins sell for meat—the captivity trade is what ultimately keeps the hunts profitable. Dolphin Project continues to work with a number of Japanese organizations and activists, including LIA @life_investigation_agency. Together with LIA, we have several lawsuits in litigation in Japanese courts. ⚠️ There is an urgent need to help continue the legal fight to defend dolphins. Donate at: bit.ly/TaijiSupport #DolphinProject #LetsProtectDolphinsTogether
BEST TEAM EVER! In addition to our campaigns to end the captive dolphin trade in Indonesia, Dolphin Project also works to aid local people and animals, including wildlife response and rescue: https://bit.ly/DPCommunityBali (🔗 in our bio) In 2023: 🐒 Rescued and treated 18 long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) 🐢 Rescued and treated 102 endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), and 2 Olive Ridley turtle who were confiscated, sick and/or stranded 🦌 Rescued and treated 1 timor deer (Cervus timorensis) who was caught in a snare 🐦 Rescued and treated 1 yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea occidentalis) who was neglected by its previous owner 🦅 Rescued and treated 1 brahminy kite (Haliastur indus) who was sick 🦦 Rescued and treated 1 river otter (Amblonyx cinereus) who was sold at a market 🌊 Rescued and treated 1 Sundanese pangolin (Manis javanica) found floating in the middle of the sea, likely had fallen off a smuggler boat.
Happy Birthday Lincoln! And congratulations on another successful voyage around the sun. Hopefully the final 48 trips around the sun will be smooth sailing… ⛵️☀️ 🎂🎉🎊🎁🎈
#CombatWildlifeCrime From Our Partners in the Jungle, Jakarta Animal Aid Network, (JAAN): “Our team is already in the field to prepare all needs for the upcoming release operation of two groups of ex-dancing monkeys, we are preparing everything on the ground. 🐒 A release operations mean long hours of travel, building pre release cages, carrying the primates in the deep forests and running post release activities. 🐒 Reach out if you want to join or support in any way ! We continue until the last dancing monkey is rescued off the streets!” Photo by @jp.christo JAAN wildlife Release Operation #longtailedmacaque #macacafascicularis #IndonesiaBebasTm #indonesiabebastopengmonyet
#UmahLumba IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT DOLPHINS 🐬: 104 sea turtles rescued so far. Many more will probably need our help in the future. Since establishing a dedicated Turtle Hospital at the Umah Lumba Center last year, we have been able to rescue, treat and release: 102 (endangered) green sea turtles and two Olive Ridley sea turtles. Many of which were confiscated from illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia, in collaboration with local authorities. While our main focus at Umah Lumba is on dolphin rehabilitation and re-release, Dolphin Project is pleased to also be able to provide medical aid, rehabilitation and release for turtles. Learn more and how you can help at: https://bit.ly/UmahLumba ❤️ 🐢 or at DolphinProject.com
Meet my first mentor and best friend, the late Captain Arthur McKee. We had some great adventures together. Art was like a father to me, kinda like the dad I never really had. When I was discharged from the Navy, Art helped me win a scholarship to Divers Training Academy where I got to use some new toys. I graduated with diplomas as a First Class Deep Sea Diver, Shallow Water Commercial Diver, SCUBA Instructor, and an International Red Cross Water Safety Instructor rating. We trained in Mark V, U.S.Navy helmets, Japanese mixed gas helmets, and Miller Dunn shallow water helmets. A few years later, when I was burned out from treasure diving, and broke from not finding enough treasure to pay the rent, Art took me to Miami Seaquarium, introduced me to his old friend Captain William B. Gray, the big boss, who hired me on the spot. I was seriously over qualified to be diving in Seaquarium’s shallow concrete tanks, and aboard the Seaquarium capture boat. Art is mentioned in my first book: “Behind the Dolphin Smile.” Happy belated Birthday Art, you are the reason I still wear Converse sneakers, both topside and underwater. *Published by History of Diving Museum: “Today we celebrate the birthday of Art “Silver Bar” McKee, born November 2, 1910. One of the most well-known treasure divers of his time, Art McKee was famous among Floridians for his salvage work, particularly that of the Spanish Treasure Fleet of 1733. He gained his nickname for the feat of hauling up three 70-pound silver bars from a wreck near Gorda Cay, Bahamas. Using a US Navy Mark V and later an open-bottom Miller-Dunn diving helmet, he was able to salvage scores of treasures and artifacts. He displayed his treasures in his own museum and started a legacy of showing salvaged treasures as cultural artifacts available for viewing by the public, rather than selling them for profit. He taught locals in south Florida the art of helmet-diving, and was well-known for diving in his signature Converse sneakers. Art’s old museum has since been converted into a school, but many of his recovered items now reside here at the History of Diving Museum. Happy birthday Art!” #diving #history #FLKeys #FloridaKeys
