Dolphins for dollars

摘要

Dozens of wild dolphins, illegally taken from the wild in what is believed to be one of the biggest mass captures on record, are currently languishing in tiny sea pens on the Solomon lslands. These creatures are the victims of a 'dolphins for dollars'scheme uncovered by WSPA investigators last summer, responding to a desperate call for help from local group ECANSI (Environmental Concerns Action Network of the Solomon Islands). WSPA learned how local fishermen were being offered US$260 dollars for every dolphin they brought ashore. The brains behind this operation are foreign business interests whose aim is to train the dolphins with a view to exporting them to dolphinaria around the world. With a single dolphin alone worth tens of thousands of dollars, it is a highly profitable concern. However, where money is involved the animal ultimately pays the price. In this case, the wild-caught dolphins have been put into shallow and overcrowded sea pens, where they have no option but to compete for food.Several have died and locals report that many are in poor health.