Dubai: Twenty eight wild, bottlenose dolphins are being air-cargoed to Dubai from the Solomon Islands destined for the Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah.
A representative from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in the UAE confirmed yesterday that the dolphins were being legally imported from the Solomon Islands.
"They are definitely coming to Dubai and they will all go to one place, the Atlantis Palm Dubai. There are 28 dolphins. It is 100 per cent legal to import them here," he told Gulf News.
Declaration
A declaration issued by Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary-General of CITES, on Monday states that the convention, "has received no evidence to demonstrate that trade which is now taking place, or is intended to take place, will have a detrimental impact upon wild dolphin populations. There is therefore, at present, no justification for the CITES Secretariat to take steps to halt the trade. If the Secretariat receives any information to show that there is such a justification, we will certainly act."
A spokesperson from Kerzner International - the owners of Atlantis, said the resort will open in a year and will include a large marine mammal rescue centre and a conservation education centre.
"Atlantis, The Palm and Kerzner Istithmar are planning to include a world class dolphin interactive programme at Atlantis, The Palm ... we cannot disclose information about where we acquire our dolphins or details of the transport at this time as a matter of security," said the spokesperson.
Dolphin Bay is planned to be a state-of-the-art, eleven-acre coastal facility with seven million gallons of salt water - one of the largest man-made coastal facilities in the world, it was stated.
Margaux Dodds, director of Marine Connection, a UK-based whales and dolphins protection group, said she was very concerned that wild dolphins are being transported to Dubai. "No scientific population studies have been done to tell us what the status of this dolphin population is."
Earlier a court injunction filed by Earth Island Institute Pacific Director Lawrence Makili failed when a judge rejected the conservation group's bid to stop dolphin exports.
