One of the saddest things about animals in captivity is the fact that some of them have never known what it’s like to experience the freedom of what lies in the outside world.
Whether the creature is a land animal or whether they have come from the sea, the fact remains that many wild animals are used to covering huge expenses of land or sea in their lifetime. If you try and compare the African desert or the Indian ocean to a small cage or a tiny swimming pool, it’s really clear to see the problem with keeping animals captive.
Although there is still lots of work to be done to change people’s attitudes towards captive animals, luckily, there are plenty of amazing organizations who are doing whatever they can to make a difference to animals in this present moment.
One organization in particular has recently managed to rescue three beautiful dolphins after years of performing in a small, square swimming pool – and the dolphins couldn’t be more grateful! Let’s take a look at how they managed it.
For dolphins Rocky, Rambo, and Johnny, life was pretty bleak.
The trio lived in a tiny, chlorinated pool where they were forced to perform each day in front of large crowds. It all began a few years back when the dolphins were captured in the Java Sea, torn away from their family pods, and forced to live in captivity at Bali’s Melka Excelsior Hotel.
The tiny swimming pools seemed a million miles away from the vast, exciting ocean, and the dolphins must have settled into a very bad headspace. But no matter how they were feeling, they were still forced to work, and the three beautiful creatures followed a daily routine of swimming through hoops and having photographs with tourists. There didn’t seem to be a way out – until one day help arrived.
The U.S.-based non-profit Dolphin Project teamed up with the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) in Bali, and the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), to open the world’s first permanent dolphin sanctuary in 2019. That was also the year that they discovered Rocky, Rambo, and Johnny, and the three dolphins became the first residents of the new sanctuary.
At The Bali Dolphin Sanctuary, the focus is on nurturing the animals to be in a stable enough condition to be released, however, they also have a retirement option for those who are old or weak.
Those that are well enough to be set free are taken to Camp Lumba Lumba Readaptation and Release Center, then released back into the wild in Karimun Jawa, from which many were originally captured.
Bali Dolphin Sanctuary: It’s incredible to watch Johnny, Rocky and Rambo’s progress as they play and interact, spending long periods of time diving deep! Read more on our latest sanctuary update: https://t.co/rZAHwgAX2K#DolphinProject #FreeBaliDolphins pic.twitter.com/ViSscVlOfy
— Dolphin Project (@Dolphin_Project) July 20, 2020
“The facility sea pens are about 15 meters (50 feet) deep,” Dolphin Project said on their website. “These pens are some of the largest in the world and being situated in calm, natural seawater, boast a variety of fish, squid, crustaceans and other sea life. The size, depth and biological diversity offer a rich and stimulating environment for formerly captive dolphins!”
While Johnny is set to retire in the comfort of the sanctuary, it’s likely that both Rambo and Rocky will return to their natural habitat. The most important thing is that all three dolphins have got their lives back, and will never be forced to provide daily entertainment for humans ever again.
This amazing project is just getting started, and already they’ve given three dolphins their lives back.
Ric O’Barry, an animal activist and founder of the Dolphin Project, says the organization hopes to open more facilities in Italy and Crete. In the meantime, they won’t stop until every captive dolphin is free.
How amazing! Take a virtual tour of the sanctuary below.
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