Five dolphins left Curaçao for Saudi Arabia on a cargo plane on Tuesday. Last week, the Animal Rights Foundation initiated summary proceedings against the departure of the animals, but the judge ruled that the departure of the dolphins is allowed if the permits are in order.
That was the case on Tuesday. According to the founder of Curaçao Sea Aquarium Park, Adriaan ‘Dutch’ Schrier, the dolphins were waved off “with a heavy heart” by the park’s staff.
The decision to sell a number of dolphins has to do with, among other things, the poor financial situation of the park “as a result of the corona pandemic”. But according to the founder, the dolphin population had also become too large. Therefore, three female and two male dolphins between the ages of five and ten were sold.
Animal Rights opposes the transfer of the animals because the conditions in the “concrete aquarium” in Saudi Jeddah are said to be worse than in Curaçao. In the new shelter, according to the organization, the animals live in a swimming pool with chlorinated water and sandstorms from the surrounding desert are causing nuisance.
The animal rights organization responded positively to the judge’s ruling on Saturday. They would have ‘won’ the summary proceedings because the judge had imposed a penalty of 200,000 Antillean guilders (about 104,000 euros) per animal if the animals were transported without the correct permit.
The permits were completed on Tuesday. According to Curaçao Sea Aquarium, the welfare of the animals is paramount in their policy and obtaining a permit was not a problem. Furthermore, the company states that the Fakieh Aquarium in Saudi Arabia has by far the best facilities for the dolphins.
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