THE PERFECT PAIR DOLPHIN TRILOGY'S DAVID CAPELLO BLOGS FOR DEFEND DISCOVERY BAY, JAMAICA

How does the captive cetacean industry work?
 
Applications for aqua circus attractions, ie dolphin/orca/beluga shows or swim-with-dolphins programmes, entail getting the relevant local officials on board - a process that takes many months to put into place.
 
So, by the time public meetings occur, deals are, in most cases, already done and dusted – favours accepted, contracts signed and planning applications well under way.
 
So, why have these meetings in the first place?
 
A purely cosmetic exercise to placate the locals and remove any time-delaying obstacles from the proposed aqua circus project.
 
Where do the captive dolphins come from?
 
The vast majority are sourced from the notorious Japanese killing cove of Taiji – a black stain on the planet that quite literally drinks the blood of Atlantis. It is here that young, unmarked dolphins are enslaved into global dolphinaria by gangster overlords. The rest (parents and older, craggier-looking dolphins) are barbarically slaughtered by hammering steel rods through their spines - a heinous act that inflicts a slow and torturous death on those super-intelligent beings rejected by the aqua circus.
 
How quickly is a dolphin made ready for shows?
 
With expert trainers, a basic show can be cobbled together within 6 months. It is achieved by 15-hour days and sleep deprivation … food for thought for all those officials who gave the thumbs-up to this ill-advised venture.
 
What happens to the dolphins’ bodily waste?
 
A dolphin is a mammal, which means – like humans – it discards urine and faeces.
 
In a chlorinated show pool (or ‘concrete box’, as I prefer to call it), the waste is broken down using chemicals – a process which not only demands first-class filtration facilities but also regular and costly pool dumps … the latter regularly dodged by dolphinaria company owners due to high costs, which means that by the time they are forced to act, the water is toxic.
 
So, what happens to this toxic water?
 
It is dumped into the drainage system or the sea … in this instance, your beautiful bay.
 
If the facility, however, is situated in the waters of the bay itself, dolphin waste will flow freely around the area, which could - if tidal movements are limited - affect coral reefs and other aquatic life.
 
And so, to finish - the problems I’ve outlined in this blog are only the tip of the iceberg as I have not dealt with the many injurious effects inflicted on the dolphin performers themselves. Abused, broken Atlanteans, suffering from deep psychological problems, doomed to spend the rest of their days languishing in an alien world.
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However, I am sorely aware that Atlantean welfare always comes a very poor second to profiteering. Like many ex-trainers, I am not so naïve as to believe that my words will alter the course your elected officials have embarked on. However, I implore all concerned residents to remember this poisonous decision come polling day.
 
Thank you for listening.
 
David Capello – Former Head Trainer