Priorities and Triage
With over 2300 Whales & Dolphins in captivity and many needing immediate resolution for their current living situation, we must address the reality of the situation. Not all are going to be selected for a long term “retirement” nor upgraded accommodations. It won’t happen due to factors such as: politics, permitting issues, government requirements, the will of the owners, and most importantly, funding. Therefore, the animals that can be helped must be identified and prioritized. A sort of “Triage” system for identifying the animals that need the most immediate attention. We are also identifying existing and current construction and/or planned sanctuaries or long-term holding areas such as sea pens.
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At this step, WE NEED YOUR HELP in identifying individual animals or groups of animals in specific locations that you feel drop into that category of being high on the triage list. An example of a specific animal that comes to mind is Lolita / Tokitae at the Miami Sea Aquarium. Many others need to be listed and ranked on this triage or priority list. WE NEED YOUR HELP to bring these names, locations, and ownership to light.
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Please understand that we need realistic reviews based on facts. Not because you “heard something” or you don’t like any whale or dolphins in captivity. Specific details are needed to establish a true list of animals that need to be prioritized and targeted that need help NOW. This is International in scope.
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We know of only ONE “true” Sanctuary currently being constructed. The Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia. They have the site, currently doing all the testing required for permits, housing, electric, water, design, and logistics. If you know of others, let us know. (Sea pen structures do not qualify as “sanctuaries” in our definition.) However, they can be very valuable for temporary holding and/or rehabilitation efforts. We’d like to limit this to sanctuaries and/or holding areas that actually have an identified site, permits to operate and funding sources to become self-sustainable. If they don’t have that, they don’t really exist.
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Please forward any information to the Whale & Dolphin Advocacy Group as a #topics on our Facebook page. We will post our findings after review and authentication.
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Become a member and share our information with others. The more we can grow our group the more we can help.
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Jim Styers
Whale & Dolphin Advocacy Group