Dolphin cruelty alert!

Cruel! Manati Park in Bavaro includes a swimming pool that offers the paying (but insensitive)public a chance to swim with the dolphins for $65 per person per 5 mins in the center pool area
with 2 dolphins.There are 6 or 7 dolphins living in a undersized holding tank.(small netted enclosure.)
SOme friends who have visited this facility are shocked at the manor in which these dolphins are being held. The
owner of the facility has been claiming for some time now that he is going to make improvements to the facility
but that has never happened. My guess is that this is just lip service to relax concerned tourists.
If you feel like doing a favor to some innocent creatures,drop him a line manatipark@codetel.net.do
to tell him imprisoning dolphins are not good business that'd please good people that he wishes to attract to his place.
May all beings be happy.

I know you are going to fly off the handle when I say this but...They are just dolphins!!!

Perhaps you should direct your energy to someother worthwhile causes that affects Humans.

>>>They are just dolphins!!! <<<<

Your anwser is certainly more useless and expressing all your ignorance.

"they are just Dolphins"

Yes, it is right, they are just dolphins, but as they live with human beeings under their control, they should be keept properly!
Right now in Switzerland the Dolphinarium from the Gassers is beeing attacked by some people for treating the animals inproperly! I remember, when some other people from Great Britain claimed, that under the circumstances these dolphins are keept excellently (Taylor)!

But the bigger point is - the people over here do not know how to treat their neightbours good or their own fellows on the road, so what do you expect them to do with animals?

This is a problem from the roots and these are pretty deep!

Henry

For Chuck

Any other suggestions on what we (people interested in helping the Dolphins) can do, besides just emailing the owner? Isn't there a well known movie star who gets heavily involved with saving the Dolphins? Perhaps advising them of the DR situation?

"They are just dolphins!!!"

They may also be some of the most intelligent creatures on earth with abilities that far surpass our own. Recent studies have shown that they we're able to recogize their own reflection, a trait that had been thought only possible for humans and higher primates.

Also, tests have shown that they were able to interpret hand signals faster than human test subjects.

I think it shows an incredible display of ignorance to not understand how we interact with other species does "effect humans".

Worry about human lives first.

All the fuss about dolphins, i bet the same people supported the gulf war where thousands of civilians got killed and still suffering, from so called, reduced radiated tipped neulear bombs that were dropped on the military bunkers. there are kids being born without arms and even brains (practically dead babies) in iraq up this moment. US imposed embargo has crippled the economy of many countries like Cuba and Iraq which claim hundreds of thousands of lives every year. Kids don't have medicine nor proper nutritional food to eat.
American supported (4+ billion dollar / year of your tax money) Israel kill arabs everyday and deny them of their human rights and impose strict control on them. threw them out of their homes (made them refugees) and not allow them to come in to israel but an ordinary Robert Goldstein (jewish), from brooklyn, NY can claim citizenship of israel anytime.
People in African countries die from lack of nutrition everyday and more are dying from civil wars as you read this notice.
haitians kids have no hope of having decent lifestyle due to economical and political means. Do you know how many kids die from mal-nutrition everyday there.
I can go on and on; its all there in the internet for you to search. I get sick to my stomach when you people become so worried about Dolphins and completely ignore human suffering which is sometimes imposed by your own democratic government; supported by your own tax dollars.... american tax payer's financed wars. Its very simple, when the americans want to destroy a country they just seek out a cruel dictator (who is.. almost all the time put there by american govt. ex: Noriega in panama, sadam Hussain in Iraq.. all were american buddies and on CIA's payroll). Then american make an evil hitler out of them and then... americans support the american military aggression; the result, thousand of people suffer if not get killed. but i hear nothing about that; the same people who protest the aminal cruelties actually supported american sponsered wars.
Shame on you.

Re: Worry about human lives first.

Your arguments defy any sense of logic. So you think we should try to solve every human conflict and suffering throughout the world before we even show the slightest interest in understanding and protecting a highly evolved and intelligent creature?

By the way, your tone suggests a more anti-American sentiment than an overall concern for mankind.

Re: Worry about human lives first.

could not agree more with Wade....Wake Up needs to.

Re: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

Phyllis.......you don't REALLY think they have a SPCA in the Dominican Republic do you?

Re: What's an SPCA?

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals!!!!

forerunner by several hundred years to PETA.

Re: Worry about human lives first.

not only this place should be put out of business but all places that have dolphins and killer whales captive should be closed.even the well run places the dolphins and whales really don't want to be their,just check out the dorsel fin it is flopped to one side,when they are free and in the ocean where they are suppost to be that fin is straight up and down.

Re: Worry about human lives first.

Jeez. You are proof that there are still hippies amongst us.

Those neulear(your spelling not mine) bombs you are talking about are anti-tank rounds fired by Modern tanks. They are composed of depleted uranium. You can swallow a chunk of it and it would cause no ill effects. These types of rounds are used by not only the US but the militaries of the UK, Germany, France, Italy and most NATO Countries. Plus the Nations that use modern Russian equipment. These rounds are used to engage other armoured vehicles so unless Iraqi children are being conceived and born in burned out tanks I see no connection.

As for the embargo on Cuba. Mr Castro can trade with over 160 ations worldwide. So don't blame the US for another failed attempt at socialism.

Re: Worry about human lives first.

It never ceases to amaze me the ignorance people have when it comes to wildlife.

The male killer whale dorsal fins is mauch longer than the females and flops over to one side when at rest or slowly cruising. This happens in the wild.

The dolphins worldwide popularity is due to its attractiveness. with its Built-in smile. If people truly knew how viscious and cold-blooded dolphins are in the wild they might have a second opinion. But how about some facts?

Tree huggers like to say that only man kills for fun. Not true. Dolphins are commonly observed killing Fish and Harassing seals, penguins and other Dolphins just for the Fun of it.

Dolphins are an endangerd species. Nope! Worldwide populatin of the Bottlenose Dolphin(The one found in most Aquaria)at between 4 to 6 million.

Dolphins live in placid family pods. Hardly. Young males a visciously driven off. whether they know how to fend for themselves or not. Females are often Gang-raped even if the are not old enough for breeding or are not in estreous.

Only Dolphins and man recognize themselves in a mirror. so the are self-Realized. Sorry. Most higher mammals and many birds rcognize themselves in a mirror. know my Dog does as well as my Parrot.

Dolphins go out of their way to save men when in danger in the ocean. There are more documented cases of dolphins attacking or harming man then saving them. Most reported case of Dolphins saving man have been proved to be fabrication.

Tony,

Sorry, but the information about mirror recogition that you gave is incorrect. Present studies indicate that only humans, higher primates (chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans), and now, perhaps, dolphins have self-recognition in mirrors. Many animals see their images and believe it is another animal. This is what your dog and parrot do. Only the animals listed previously can determine that the animal in the mirror is not just a member of their own species but a reflection of their own body. Parrots are quite intelligent per se but I don't believe they are capable of self-cognition.

As for dophins, well, perhaps some do kill and then play with the food rather than eat it. But is it necessary to subject any animal to substandard living conditions? If they can't be free, at least give them ample room to swim and socialize when they aren't working for their human masters. The ancient Greeks thought that dolphins were the embodiment of the souls of drowned sailors. Killing one could bring the death penalty. I am not advocating such extreme sanctions, but all "working" animals merit humane treatment. Do this and you get more back as well.