- Eight dolphins have died on Balmoral Island since 2018, five in 2023 alone
- The remaining five dolphins are said to be abandoned and starving.
- The Blackbeard Cay facility closed during the pandemic and never reopened
Dolphins at a once-popular tourist attraction in the Bahamas were reportedly abandoned and left to starve after the facility closed during the pandemic.
Eight dolphins have died and five remain deserted and hungry at Blackbeard Cay, on Balmoral Island in Nassau, Bahamas, according to Ric O’Barry’s report. Dolphin Project.
The nonprofit organization said that from 2018 to today eight of a total of 13 dolphins have died at the facilities. Five of them died in 2023 alone and at least three are said to be caused by starvation.
O’Barry said he visited the desolate facility and noticed that the surviving dolphins appeared to be underweight and appeared to be suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.
‘The five survivors are in a world of trouble from everything I’ve seen. From the critical deprivation of food (and water) to the lack of desperately needed shade and electricity, from the potential dangers within the dolphin enclosures to the lack of adequate medical care, it would be more appropriate to state that the survivors They’re living a nightmare,’ O’ Barry said.
Eight dolphins have died and five remain deserted and hungry at Blackbeard Cay, on Balmoral Island in Nassau, Bahamas, according to Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project
O’Barry said he visited the desolate facility and noticed that the surviving dolphins appeared to be underweight and appeared to be suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.
O’Barry met with the only caretaker left at the facility, Luis Arturo Hernández, who confirmed the desolate conditions.
He said there is a lack of electricity and running water at the property and noted that a small generator on site has not been working for the past six months.
The lack of electricity means the facility does not have the capacity to keep the dolphins’ food frozen and captured photographs of open boxes of semi-frozen fish in a freezer without power.
O’Barry met with the only caretaker left at the facility, Luis Arturo Hernández, who confirmed the bleak conditions.
“He’s been with these dolphins for eight years… He doesn’t have any electricity, he’s like a homeless man living on the island,” O’Barry said. yahoo news.
‘I was shocked. The island is so beautiful that the water is crystal clear. But this is not in their favor, because the water is too shallow and in summer it gets hot. They really suffer.”
In 2013, eight dolphins were imported from Honduras to the tourist attraction and produced five calves at the facility.
Environmental activist Sam Duncombe sued the government to move the dolphins to a safer location, away from exposure to tourists and hurricanes, but no changes were made.
According to the Dolphin Project, Duncombe met with the Bahamian government to express concerns about conditions and offered that the nonprofit would fund recovery measures.
He said there is a lack of electricity and running water at the property and said it appeared in a state of disarray.
Open boxes of semi-frozen fish were photographed in a freezer with no electricity on the premises.
“The Bahamian government has a unique opportunity to ‘get ahead’ of the horrific and heartbreaking reality surrounding the death of one of the world’s most beloved animals,” Duncombe said.
“This is an opportunity to take decisive action and demonstrate commitment to upholding animal welfare standards, thereby restoring trust and goodwill both locally and internationally.”
However, the organization said that when Duncombe attempted to follow up with the government, they hijacked the communication.
“We’ve offered to buy them fish and give them first aid; they need vets,” O’Barry said.
“I went there for the first time on March 31 and I didn’t want to report them. I wanted to give them every benefit to do the right thing. And they just ignored us hoping we would leave. And now here we are.’
DailyMail.com contacted the Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, which had no information on the matter, and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism for comment.