‘It is with a heavy heart’ that the dolphins Machu, Serena, Sami, Mosa and Luna have been ‘signed off’ by the staff, says co-owner Adriaan ‘Dutch’ Schrier in a press release.
The cargo plane journey makes a stop in Cairo for a water change and eventually takes the mammals to Jeddah.
A judge on Thursday banned the export of the five dolphins after a lawsuit filed by animal welfare organization Animal Rights. Conservationists and former caretakers of the dolphins are very concerned about the new living conditions in the ‘chlorine bath in the desert’.
The owners of the dolphins managed to circumvent the court ban by obtaining an export license from the government. “This breaks our hearts,” says nurse Zenzi Willems. “We are angry, sad and disappointed.”
Schrier explains in the press release that due to the pandemic, the tourism company had no other choice. Corona caused the attraction to be temporarily closed in 2020 and 2021. Personnel costs and costs for containers full of fish for the dolphins continued. Also, the lagoon where the dolphins live is said to have reached maximum capacity.
However, Schrier believes in a good new home. “The Fakieh Aquarium has assured that it will do everything it can to provide the dolphins with optimal facilities.”