Dolphins fly to Dubai despite protests from animal groups

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http://en.rian.ru/world/20071018/84399531.html

 

Dolphins fly to Dubai despite protests from animal

groups

18/10/2007

 

JAKARTA, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - Twenty eight live

dolphins have left the Solomon Islands on a 30-hour

flight to Dubai despite outrage from environmental and

animal groups and calls to boycott Solomon tuna,

Australian media said.

 

The dolphin sale sparked a wave of protests by groups

claiming the mammals would not survive the long

flight. The fears were backed up when photographs were

published of four dolphin carcasses found near the

animals' holding pen in the capital Honiara.

 

" Now they have a 30-hour flight and I'm concerned some

of them just won't make it - they'll die on the way, "

said the Pacific Director of the San Francisco-based

group, Earth Island Institute, Lawrence Makili, adding

that he had seen the " dead dolphins. "

 

The Australian daily Herald Sun said the dolphins,

which were sold for more than $1 million, would be

housed at the new Palm Atlantis resort hotel.

 

Australia's Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has

already voiced opposition to the shipment.

 

Meanwhile, the Earth Islands Institute threatened to

boycott Solomon Islands tuna if the dolphins were

exported.

 

Locals said one of the men involved in the deal had

previously been accused of killing dolphins for their

meat.

 

Four years ago a shipment of 28 dolphins from the

Solomans to Mexico forced the government to put a ban

on live dolphin exports, but a year later it was overturned.