Manati Park CAPS has received numerous complaints from UK tourists returning from a visit at Manati Park Bavaro who are outraged about the living conditions of the dolphins in that tank. We are urging the public - in particular British tourists - to boycott Manati Park.
Manati Park is a tourist attraction in the Bavaro region of the Dominican Republic. The park includes a swimming pool that houses dolphins. Five dolphins live in concrete tanks, where they perform several shows during the day and are allowed to be touched by up to 200 people daily. Ric O'Barry, one of the world's most experienced captive dolphin experts says he has never seen dolphins as overworked as those at Manati Park. Manati Park offers the paying public a chance to swim with the dolphins. This includes 5 minutes in the centre pool area with 2 dolphins. Anywhere from 6-10 people at a time are allowed to chase and touch the dolphins as they wish and are also pulled around the pool. This is followed up by a photo session at the side of the pool where the dolphins have been trained to flip over on their backs for a photo. The dolphins are rotated every hour or so. During the day the dolphins also put on a number of shows. The dolphins perform from 10am to 5pm every day of the week. Back in 1999 the dolphin park was investigated by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, who claimed that the living conditions of these dolphins were not acceptable. Worldwide protests began. International TV channels like ABC 20/20, European Channels, International Newspapers like Time Magazine and New York Times published shocking reports and photos of the conditions these dolphins have to survive. Several European TV Channels aired a video where a dolphin attacked a child in the pool because, experts believe, the animal was so distressed and overworked. The issue of May 21st of Time Magazine stated Manati Park as "one of the world's most controversial facilities." "Worse, critics charge that several dolphins have died prematurely at Manati because of toxic waters." According to CITES documentation only five of the original imported and captured eight dolphins are still there now. An investigation by Ric O'Barry, consultant to the World Society for the Protection of Animals was carried out in 2000. O'Barry said:
Probably due to the unacceptable living conditions of these dolphins and the stress they have to bear with often more than 200 people per day in the tank, attacks by dolphins on tourists in the pool have occurred. Several tour operators as well as several big hotel chains have already cancelled their contract with Manati Park. Visa, Nestle and Pepsi, who were mentioned as sponsors on the park's leaflet, have withdrawn their logos from all advertisement material. Almost 3,000 protest signatures have been handed over but in spite of all this opposition the dolphin tank is still open. HOW YOU CAN HELP
Photographs © Helene O'Barry, The Dolphin Project |
