ELEVEN more bottlenose dolphins will leave the country today.
An aircraft from Kuzu Airline Cargo, a Turkish airliner, touched down at Honiara International Airport yesterday afternoon to pick them up.
The destination was not confirmed but it’s likely to be the Philippines, where seven bottlenose dolphins were sent last month.
Solomon Islands Mammal Education Centre and Exporters Ltd is exporting the life dolphins. The company has a licence to export the animals.
An airport source said the aircraft flew in from the Philippines yesterday morning.
“The aircraft will spend the night here. Loading will start tomorrow morning and the aircraft is expected to depart at 9am,” the source told the Solomon Star yesterday.
Directors of Solomon Islands Mammal Education Centre Canadian Chris Porter and his local counterpart Robert Satu, were unavailable for comments.
This latest shipment is likely to attract further attacks from local and international animal activists who opposed to life export of dolphins.
Local activist Lawrence Makili has again attacked the Government for allowing the shipment.
“It has been recommended internationally that unless we know the population of dolphins in our waters, we should not export any of them,” Mr Makili said.
He said a survey carried out on dolphins was incomplete, therefore it is irresponsible for the Government to allow the export of this animal.
The Government banned live dolphin export trade in 2003 following an outcry over a consignment of 28 bottlenose dolphins to an aquatic park in Mexico.
Activists claim at least 12 of the dolphins died.
Mr Satu, who was involved in the exports to Mexico, fought the ban and won a landmark court ruling December 2007, that paved the way for dolphin exports to resume.
After the court ruling, the government was swift to change its position on the trade.
It has allowed the capture and export of up to 100 bottlenose dolphins a year.
The 11 dolphins are estimated to be sold for USD$660,000 (more than $5 million) if they are each priced at USD$60,000 ($462,000) as was the case with the seven dolphins exported last month.
The Government collects 25 per cent duty on the shipment.
Cargo plane here to get 11 more dolphins
