Dolphinaris moves dolphins to sanctuary
Business has plans to be a different type of venue
All four dolphins from Dolphinaris Arizona are now in a sea sanctuary in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Coral World Ocean Park in St. Thomas.
Dolphinaris Arizona confirmed the move and said they would reopen as a new concept, not involving dolphins. A company spokeswoman previously told
The Arizona Republic that she would not release details on the dolphins’ departure until they were safely in their new homes.
The Republic, going off a tip that dolphins were being transported Tuesday night, watched from a distance as a yellow Penske truck pulled slowly into a private hangar area at Sky Harbor around 11 p.m. Other moving trucks were already there.
The Republic could not see dolphins, but about a dozen people spent hours moving cargo into an Everts Air Cargo plane with what appeared to be slings, which are used in the transport of dolphins.
The move was expected as Dolphinaris Arizona is evaluated following the death of a fourth dolphin on Jan. 31. The swim-with-the-dolphins venue that opened in 2016 on the Salt River Reservation near Scottsdale temporarily shuttered Feb. 8.
Activists, pushing for the facility never to reopen, were heartened when crews removed Dolphinaris signs from the exterior of the building Feb. 15.
A new home
The dolphins’ new home is a natural ocean water sanctuary.
The facility is Coral World Ocean Park’s new St. Thomas Sea Sanctuary at Water Bay.
The dolphins will participate in the park’s programs to inspire visitors to care for and protect the marine ecosystem, a statement from the park said.
“The dolphins will live in our newly developed St. Thomas Sea Sanctuary, a first-of-its-kind 69,000-square-foot ocean habitat that introduces the dolphins to a natural environment with the added advantage of being cared for by
licensed veterinarians and dolphin experts who are dedicated to their health and wellbeing,” Lee Kellar, Coral World Ocean Park general curator, said in the statement.
The sanctuary features a large swim space safely enclosed by a mesh barrier.
The sanctuary includes areas designed to facilitate animal health care and an area where dolphins can spend time away from other dolphins or guests if they choose, according to the park.
Two of the dolphins, Liko and Noelani, were on loan to Dolphinaris Arizona from Dolphin Quest in Hawaii.
Dolphin Quest terminated its animal-loan agreement with Dolphinaris Arizona after the death last month of Kai, who also had come from there.
Officials at the facility in Hawaii praised the new home in St. Thomas and said the four dolphins, which include Sonny and Ping, were a strong social group.
“We felt it was imperative to remove the animals from what appeared to be a compromised environment at the Arizona facility,” Dr. Rae Stone, Dolphin Quest co-founder, said in a statement Wednesday. “Just like the natural ocean-water sanctuaries Dolphin Quest pioneered over three decades ago in Hawaii, Coral World’s marine habitat promises to provide a healthy and enriching environment where our dolphins
The Animal Welfare Institute, an advocacy group, raised concerns about the St. Thomas facility, citing water-quality issues at Water Bay.
Popular swimming beaches are analyzed weekly for enterococci bacteria, which can cause infections, and for water clarity, according to data from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, which monitors water quality in the Virgin Islands.
Weekly reports since late September show that seven out of the 19 times that water at Water Bay was analyzed, the sample was found to have levels of bacteria that made it unsafe for swimming or fishing.
The dolphins, “who are potentially immunocompromised, will be held in a sea pen enclosure in a bay known for its limited water circulation and poor water quality,” Naomi Rose, the institute’s marine-mammal scientist, said in a statement.
Jason Price, a spokesman for Dolphin Quest, noted the latest inspection of Water Bay by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources determined the water was safe to swim in.
Price said that pollution can often impact coastal areas and the corals, fish and wild cetaceans living in the waters.
“Coral World is actively participating in watershed studies to prevent storm
Typically during transports, a dolphin is placed in a sling or stretcher and suspended in water, and the entire container is loaded onto an airplane for long-distance moves.
Jason Bruck, a dolphin scientist at Oklahoma State University, said marine parks often use large logistic carriers like FedEx or UPS to transport dolphins as they are equipped to undertake the moves.
“It’s not as crude as FedEx-ing your dolphin, but they’re some of the carriers that have logistics to pull a move like this off,” he said.
Any movement of animals contains some inherent risk, according to Bruck.
However, the process has become more streamlined over the years, with the animals closely monitored by experts and trainers along the way, he said.
“The modern zoo and aquarium is pretty good at doing this,” Bruck said. “If the animal is truly having a problem, we can determine that from specific whistles.”
Marine-mammal specialists who know the dolphins from Arizona, as well as veterinary specialists, accompanied the dolphins on the flight to St. Thomas
Investigations into the four dolphin deaths at Dolphinaris Arizona continue.
Smith, the Dolphinaris spokewsoman, told on Monday that early investigative results by experts the company brought in were inconclusive. They so far have conducted water tests at the facility and pathologists are doing further testing on tissue samples from the dolphins, she said.
Smith said the investigative panel of experts includes veterinarians, pathologists, water quality experts and animal-behavior specialists, although she would not provide further details on who they are.
An arm of the United States Department of Agriculture is tasked with inspecting such facilities. On Feb. 1, one day after the fourth death, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a statement saying officials were “working on the next course of action.”
When asked Wednesday if the agency is investigating or involved with investigations at Dolphinaris, a spokesman said, “At this time, no.”