Hundreds of dolphins captured from wild
Archive - July 2003

Despite worldwide condemnation of the capture of up to 200 dolphins from the wild off the Solomon Islands (in the Pacific Ocean near Australia), some of the dolphins have already been transported to dolphinariums in Mexico. The capture is the largest ever and increases by one-fifth the number of dolphins in captivity worldwide.

A business consortium, taking advantage of the political turmoil in the country, has offered local fisherman £160 for each dolphin they catch. Each is worth up to £100,000 when sold to dolphinariums.

Foreign governments, including Australia who has sent troops to the islands to try and restore law and order, have tried to stop the export but the Mexican government refused to block the import. Journalists and film crews have been threatened and attacked by gangs when trying to film the dolphins in the temporary pens and the British High Commissioner was also chased away.
33 dolphins have been flown to Mexico and potential buyers from Taiwan and Thailand have also inspected the dolphins.

Mexico is a signatory to CITES (international wildlife law), under which the bottlenose dolphin is fully protected, and Mexican laws prohibit the capture of marine mammals in Mexican waters.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please email the following, asking them to intervene to prevent the capture and movement of any more dolphins. Marine experts such as WSPA should be allowed to help release all the captured dolphins back into the wild. CITES Secretariat, Switzerland, email: cites@unep.ch Jorge Soceron Mainero, CITES Scientific Authority, Mexico, email: jsoberon@xolo.conabio.gob.mx President Vicenta Fox, Mexico, email: Elizondo@presidencia.gob.mx Victor Lichtinger, Secretary of the Environment, Mexico, email: vlichtinger@semarnat.gob.mx Her Excellency Senora Alma Rosa Moreno-Razo, Mexican Embassy, London, email: mexuk@easynet.co.uk British High Commissioner in the Solomon Islands, email: bhc@solomon.com.sb If you require postal addresses or Phone numbers for the any of the above please contact the CAPS Campaigns Office on 0845 456 9381 or email us.

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Photographs © Captive Animals Protection Society