Zenzi Willems

My last cry for help… since time is running out for dolphins Serena, Machu, Mosa, Sami and Luna 💔 I urgently ask you to read and share my story in the hope that good triumphs over evil.

At any moment Serena, Machu, Mosa, Sami and Luna will be transported to the Fakieh Aquarium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and unfortunately this is not a lie nor a speculation 💔🐬 As expected the trainers/caretakers are forced to stay silence and kept in the dark about the exact date and time of the transport. Resigning would make sense to bystanders but what would that truly contribute to the dolphins that are being left behind. Believe me when I say that this is probably tearing apart the passionate trainers working so closely with these beautiful creatures.

I keep saying Dolphin Academy Curaçao and Curacao Dolphin Therapy Center but the truth is this is about the shareholders and their poor decisions regarding the animals’ welfare. Since they have been known to make such devastating and irrational decisions in the past (https://www.trouw.nl/nieuws/dolfinarium-curacao-kocht-wilde-dolfijnen~b31e33ca).

I can only imagine that this terrible decision is again mainly made by two of the three involving shareholders. Despite several concerns about this deal and transport, the CITES Management Authority and CITES Scientific Authority in Curaçao still signed a permit for this 5 dolphin transport from Curaçao to Saudi Arabia.

Communication is key to life, work and relationships. Poor communication leads to an environment of distrust and confusion. And that is exactly what is happening right now.
I truly believe that NO ANIMALS should be held in captivity. In the end we don’t even come close to what true nature has to offer. But again fact is that we live in a society where this is happening and we should do EVERYTHING in our power to make sure they get the best care possible.

Dolphin Academy Curaçao and Curaçao Dolphin Therapy Center should always be open for improvement for the dolphins under their care. They should have thought about this way before they explosively expanded. The more the merrier… And now that all these baby dolphins have developed into adults they are too costly and will clearly be sold to any bidder with no regards to their needs…

The difference between a commercial animal facility and a sanctuary cannot be found in the devotion and care that will be offered by trainers/caretakers/people working very close with the animals. The major difference lies in the mindset and action taken by the leading party/owners/founders/shareholders.

You want to hear about ‘the science behind the smile’?

Dolphins Mosa and Luna were separated from their mothers less than two weeks ago and are now swimming deep laps barely coming up to take a breath whistling to their mothers who they can still hear and see through the mass that separates them from each other. Clear signs of stress have been observed.

Dolphin Machu is now being kept by himself in a lagoon where he keeps hanging in front of the gate checking out the other dolphins. And Serena and Sami have been put together in a fenced off part of the lagoon to keep them separated from the group they were so used to.

Especially Sami is having a difficult time, floating in front of the net whistling to his former buddy Kanoa and not wanting to eat like he normally does.

And while being in these stressed situations they don’t even get the chance to see familiar trainer faces since their new trainers from Saudi Arabia are the only ones feeding and working with them at the moment.

Above all of this animal cruelty happening in their own, suppose to be safe environment they await a night ‘scoop’ out of the water to be transported by airplane to a new and for them very unsafe facility…

My heart is broken in soooooo many pieces… This tragic situation needs to get out in the world and I truly hope we can boycott this from happening.

“I will remember you…” 💔🐬🎶 Never ever would I have left their sides if I knew this was their future outcome…

Zenzi Willems,
Curacao

Naschrift KKC

For those asking what to do here is the petition that has been set up: Sign the petition:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-transport-of-5-curacao-dolphins-to-jeddah-saudi-arabia

STOP THE TRANSPORT OF 5 CURACAO DOLPHINS TO JEDDAH (SAUDI ARABIA)

Dolphin Academy Curacao received the CITES approval from Mr. Dilrosun to sell and transport 5 dolphins on a very short term to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Help us by signing this petition to change Mr. Dilrosun’s decision and keep the bottlenose dolphins Serena, Machu, Mosa, Sami and Luna on Curacao.

The Fakieh Aquarium in Jeddah is the place where these beloved and innocent dolphins are scheduled to go. This place does NOT meet the EAAM standards to offer the dolphins a safe living environment. In the time frame of 2013 – 2021 the Fakieh Aquarium has lost ALL 6 of their dolphins due to lung damage caused by dust and sand storms.

How can Dolphin Academy Curacao and Mr. Dilrosun decide it is morally acceptable to send 5 young and healthy dolphins to their death penalty?

Currently Serena, Machu, Mosa, Sami and Luna live in natural lagoons from where they can or have been trained for open water excursions. They experience the tides of the ocean, they are surrounded by fish and coral, and live with their families. In the Fakieh Aquarium they will face a life in a chloride concrete pool where they can not be protected from sand and dust storms.

Us HUMANS need to step up for the other living creatures in this world who do not have a voice. No dolphin should live in captivity but the reality is they do. Now it is our obligation to make sure that the dolphins live THEIR BEST LIFE POSSIBLE. Dolphins Serena, Machu, Mosa, Sami and Luna deserve the best and should not spend the rest of their lives in a concrete pool.

This petition will be send to Ms. Higuero who has been the Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2018. We urgently ask her to review this case and repeal the CITES approval by Mr. Dilrosun for this transport.

Our goal is to gather 10.000 signatures to keep the dolphins on Curacao. Please help us, SIGN and SHARE!