These Three Dolphins Were Abused by Tourists for Years. Now They’ve Returned to the Wild

THINK

Sep 13

Johnny, Rocky and Rambo were rescued from a resort hotel swimming pool in Indonesia and rehabilitated at a facility for formerly performing dolphins.

Three bottlenose dolphins that were rescued from the animal tourism industry have been released back into the sea.

Johnny, Rocky and Rambo, were captured from the wild in Indonesia and spent years performing in a traveling dolphin circus. They were then sold to a resort hotel in North Bali where they were confined in a chlorinated swimming pool, according to the Dolphin Project.

Three years ago, the trio were rescued by the Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Center, a dolphin care facility in Banyuwedang Bay, West Bali, established by the Indonesian government, in collaboration with Jakarta Animal Aid Network and the Dolphin Project.

At the facility, which is Indonesia’s first and only permanent dolphin rehabilitation, release and retirement facility for formerly performing dolphins, Johnny, Rocky and Rambo were nursed back to health over the course of three years.

Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Center. Credit: Dolphin Project

When rescued, the three dolphins were underweight, malnourished, and suffering from a number of physical injuries. Johnny had skin damage, an injury to his right pectoral fin, and teeth worn down to below the gum line. Before being released, he underwent a groundbreaking procedure that provided him with dolphin-style dental crowns.

Then, after being assessed as to whether they were eligible to be released back into the sea, the three dolphins were set free in Banyuwedang Bay.

"It was an incredibly emotional experience to see them go," said Lincoln O’Barry, an animal rights activist and campaigns coordinator at the Dolphin Project, in an interview with the Associated Press.

When the gates of the pen were removed, the dolphins hovered close to the opening, unsure whether they should cross over. This lasted for around 90 minutes, until Johnny made the first move to exit the pen, encouraging his companions to follow. Before making their way out of the bay into the open ocean, the dolphins circled the sanctuary.

“They turned back around and came back to us one more time, almost to say thank you and good-bye. And then they headed straight out to open ocean and disappeared,” said Lincoln O’Barry.

As the dolphins adjust to their new lives, the first 90 days are crucial, according to the Dolphin Project. The organization will be observing the dolphins’ conditions every day and local fishermen and boat operators have received educational training, instructing them not to approach or feed dolphins if they get close. In addition, a hotline has been established so that sightings of the dolphins can be reported.

The Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Center will also monitor the dolphins using GPS tracking for the next year.

"Where they head next, we don’t know," Lincoln O’Barry told the AP. "But we wish them a good long life."

Learn more about how you can help support future rescues here.

Tracking tag attached to Johnny’s dorsal fin. Credit: Dolphin Project

The Solutions

Hundreds of dolphins are captured from the wild every year, particularly during the infamous annual Taiji hunt in Japan. Some are sold to aquariums, marine parks, and dolphinariums, while others are slaughtered for their meat.

Live dolphins sold to theme parks bring in a much higher profit than those killed for meat. A fully trained dolphin is worth more than $40,000, while dolphin meat only brings in $500.

The main way to stop dolphin hunts is to refuse to pay to see animals at entertainment venues. “The captivity industry drives the dolphin slaughter, thus, the best way to end the slaughter is to not buy a ticket to a dolphin show,” says Ric O’Barry, founder of the Dolphin Project.

A cutting-edge technology company, Edge Innovations, is also working to help end animal captivity in marine parks by offering an ethical alternative: a robotic dolphin. The creation mimics the look and movements of its real-life counterparts and has the exciting potential to usher in a sustainable new era for animal tourism.

Edge Innovations say that the robots “can work all day long, don't need food and don't mind taking endless selfies with visitors. They can run for 10 hours without charging, with a 10-year lifespan living in saltwater together with live fish!”

Virtual reality could also be a promising solution that enables people to appreciate nature without paying to see animals confined in cages and tanks.

What we eat matters: as well as refusing to see animals as entertainment objects, our food choices also have an impact on everything that’s happening to the ocean and those that call it home. With around 2.7 billion wild fish killed every single day, it’s no wonder this is having far-reaching repercussions for our wildlife and oceans.

This October, sign up for the Species Unite 30-Day Vegan Challenge to discover a whole new world of plant-based living from vegan seafood recipes to shoes, boots and bags made from some of the most magical plants on the planet. Take part here!

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