NGOs work tirelessly to rescue thousands of captive dolphins and reintroduce them to the wild.
Honey, the bottlenose dolphin, caught the attention of the entire world in 2018. The cute dolphin was left in a small, murky tank, and sadly, she has died.
“The world’s loneliest dolphin” and a few other animals were left behind at the Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium after the closing of the park in 2018. Financial struggles put an end to the popularity of the aquarium and the situation got worse when earthquakes and tsunamis struck the area in 2011. Honey, 46 penguins, and hundreds of fish and reptiles were left at the mercy of just one employee.
Honey was really lonely and all she did was swim in circles in her dirty tank. She was all by herself with nothing to keep her happy or stimulated.
“In late February of this year, we reached out to our Japanese colleagues once again in attempts to purchase Honey in order that she could be retired in peace and dignity,” the organization explained. “These conversations ended in early March when it became apparent Honey was unlikely to survive. Later that month on March 29, Honey died in her tank.”
It was a tragic ending for Honey. The poor animal was left to die. There’s no other explanation for this tragedy.
“While tragically, she wasn’t able to escape the manmade enclosure she suffered in, Honey will remain the face of dolphin captivity for many years to come.
The Dolphin Project is one of the initiatives the Japanese started to rescue the dolphin. It is a dolphin welfare, rescue, and rehabilitation organization from California.
The organization tried really hard to rescue the dolphin, but they weren’t able to reach an agreement. Because of this, Honey died alone in her dirty home. Many other animals share the same destiny.
The organization has been trying to rescue dolphins in the US, Haiti, South Korea, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Indonesia, Brazil, and Columbia. Richard O’Barry founded it on Earth Day in 1970 with one simple goal. Employees work really hard to rescue animals.
The cuties are taken to a sanctuary and some of them are reintroduced into their natural habitat. It’s a long process and not every animal regain their natural instincts to survive in the wild.
The Dolphin Project hopes to end dolphin exploitation and slaughter. They educate people about dolphin captivity and hopefully, other dolphins will have better luck than poor Honey. The organization has had much success in the past decades.
Here are some of their accomplishments:
The Dolphin Project had a big mission in 2003. They tried to shut down the cruel and controversial drive hunts in Taiji. Honey was captured during one of these monstrous hunts.
The Taiji drive hunts
Honey and other terrified dolphins are driven into a cove and they are captured for performance in aquariums and marine parks. Some of them are killed for their meat. The Dolphin Project was determined to put an end to the brutal practice.
The Cove exposes the dark side of the Taiji hunts. There’s nothing positive in those hunts and the documentary raised general awareness. It won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Dolphins are smart and social creatures who like to play. They aren’t “designed” to be kept in captivity. Such an intelligent animal should not be forced to live in a small pool without any source of stimulation.
Get involved
You may be just a human in this world, but your tiny impact can contribute to a greater cause. The Dolphin Project needs all the help it can get. There are many other organizations with similar missions.
Together we are stronger and now is the perfect time to make a change in this world. Animals need our help because they are powerless in the fight against captivators. Be the voice for those who can’t speak and make this world a better place.
