I am contacting you with an urgent request to prevent the importation of 12 bottlenose dolphins to Ocean World Adventure Park in Puerto Plata. These dolphins were captured in a brutal ‘drive hunt’ in Taiji, Japan. In this particular hunt, more than 200 bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales were driven to shore, and those not selected for the aquarium industry were slaughtered. The drive hunts in Japan, also known as the "drive fisheries," are extremely violent. Dolphins are chased to exhaustion, surrounded by large nets and driven into a small cove where they are then butchered. By purchasing select dolphins from the Japanese drive hunts, dolphin dealers and the marine park facilities associated with them are making the hunts extremely profitable, thereby providing incentive for them to continue. Marine parks and aquariums that purchase dolphins from these drive hunts claim to have "saved" them from certain death. In reality, however, the trade in these dolphins supports the continued existence of the dolphin slaughter. The Dominican Republic has a well-known reputation as a safe haven for humpback whales, with the Silver Banks whale sanctuary being a shining example of your Government’s dedication to the protection of marine wildlife and the environment. I ask you to maintain the commitment of the Dominican Republic to the protection of wildlife by preventing the import of any dolphins from the drive hunts in Japan. Sincere Regards,
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