Freedom for dolphins

Stop dolphin captivity - Freedom for Wayra and Yaku

Wayra and Yaku are two bottlenose dolphins that have been captured in Cuba and transported in 1997 via Mexico to Peru, in order to spend the rest of their lives in a small pool in the five star hotel “Los Delfines”. The import of the dolphins violated national law and he dimensions of the pool did not fulfill national minimum standards. The underwater windows of the pool form he walls of an underground hall, used for parties, events and dancing. In 2005 Wayra gave birth but the calf died within days, being crushed against the wall by the inexperienced mother in an attempt to support the baby.

In order to defend dolphin captivity the hotel owners founded their own NGO called “Center for Dolphin Investigation” (CILDE – Centro de Investigación de Delfines). In reality this NGO is nothing else but an intelligent tool to promote the hotels image and to sell merchandising as well as services of the hotel, like children birth day parties in the hotel, dolphin assisted therapies for handicapped children and encounters between dolphins and pregnant women. All this activities are realized without any scientific base and not informing people about possible health risks involved.

Read here how you can help Wayra and Yaku!

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Hotel Los Delfines – Dolphin jail or conservation project?

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Page author: Stefan Austermühle

What we think about dolphin captivity:

Mundo Azul is strictly opposed to cetacean captivity. There is no justification for the captivity of dolphins.
Mundo Azul promotes the closure of existing dolphinaria and the scientifically based reintroduction of captive dolphins in their natural habitat (ideally in their country of origin)
Animals which for medical or behavioral reasons can not be reintroduced into their environment, should be kept in semi captivity in natural environments like for example fenced bays (if possible in their country of origin.
Captive reproduction should be restricted in order to diminish the population of captive dolphins and phase it out in the long run.

Why dolphin captivity should be stopped?

The capture of dolphins causes the death of up to 80 % and causes suffering to surviving specimen.
The capture of dolphins may cause local extinction.
Transports of dolphins cause stress and suffering. Many dolphins die during transports.
The living conditions of dolphins in captivity are inadequate and cause behavioral and mental disorders in the animals.
In their habitat dolphins live in grown family groups – in captivity they kill each other.
Captivity conditions make dolphins sick. Chronic diseases are common.
Captivity kills! The survival times of dolphins in captivity are much shorter than natural life spans in their habitat.
Most dolphins born in captivity die.
People recognize: Dolphins need to be free!

Read here how you can help Wayra and Yaku!

How the Hotel Los Delfines and CILDE try to justify the captivity of dolphins and what’s the reality:

Argument 1: Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) is beneficial for human health and the treatment of handicapped children.

Short answer: There are no scientific studies supporting any positive long term effects of DAT. Eventual positive short term effects may equally be reached with alternative methods. Encountering captive dolphins does involved risks for humans and for the animals. DAT is a well promoted miracle that comes along with a big bill. Read more

Argument 2: The encounter of pregnant women with captive dolphins stimulates the babies’ development positively.

Short answer: The program of encounters between pregnant women and dolphins in the Hotel Los Delfines has nothing to do with science, but is an irresponsible act that may put in serious danger the health of both, mother and child. Read more

Argument 3: Showing dolphins in captivity is a great option for environmental education

Short answer: The educational material distributed by CILDE is full of emotional arguments and mysticism and superficial nonsense, without presenting a scientific base. The NGO promotes a wrong and idealized idea of dolphins that has nothing to do with the real nature of the dolphins. The so called “Blue Brigade”, the children’s club organized by CILDE, is nothing else than an intelligent tool in order to boost the sale of hotel services like room rentals and children’s birthday parties. Read more

In Peru, with more than 30 registered species of whales and dolphins and with dolphins passing by the capitals beaches on a daily basis there is no need to have dolphins in captivity for environmental education. Dolphin watching is a much better way to boost environmental awareness. Read more

.Sign our online-petition against dolphin captivity in the Hotel Los Delfines

What needs to be done? – Dolphin captivity must stop!

The capture of life dolphins in Peruvian waters must be prohibited without exemption.
Dolphin captivity in Peru must be prohibited without exemption.
The import of dolphins for captivity must be prohibited without exemption.

Freedom for Wayra and Yaku!

The hotel must return the dolphins inmediately to the bigger pool in the hotel itself and close down its even smaller facility at La Herradura Beach.
While being held in the hotel the managemant must restrain from organizing events near the dolphin pool.
The hotel must immediately stop their programs for Dolphin Assisted Therapy and encounters between pregnant women and dolphins in order to avoid risks for human health and for the dolphins themselves.
The Hotel Los Delfines must work out short term plans to rehabilitate the dolphins and return them to their natural habitat. Alternatively the dolphins may be exported to a facility where they can live in semi natural conditions, if rehabilitation is not possible.
The Hotel Los Delfines should abstain from any further involvement in dolphin captivity and forever close down their dolphin facility.