A lot of people aren’t aware of how cruel many circuses can be to animals. Innocent animals are enslaved and forced to perform dangerous tricks to paying audiences. Check out this video from a recent post we let out.
These poor dolphins named Rocky, Rambo, and Johnny were all used in a cruel traveling circus before being sold to the Melka Excelsior Hotel in Lovina, Indonesia. The dolphins were then kept captive in deplorable conditions for the purpose of entertaining tourists, including being used for swim-with-dolphins sessions and used in “dolphin therapy” programs. The hotel also had a mini zoo filled with animals that were held in dark concrete and steel cages.
The Central Jakarta Forestry Department received several complaints about the Melka Excelsior Hotel, so they sent over a team to investigate. The team found several birds, snakes, three saltwater crocodiles, two leaf monkeys, porcupines, and five bottlenose dolphins. The findings and living conditions led to an order of an immediate confiscation of all the animals. Unfortunately, one of the dolphins died on August 3.
Experts conducted a health check on all the poor creatures and tagged each one with microchips. This was an important step to ensuring the animals wouldn’t be recaptured.
The Rescue
An organization named Dolphin Project worked with local partners to follow the orders successfully … And the great news is that the rescue included Rocky and Rambo! Thankfully, the majority of the wildlife have already been moved and are on their way to rehabilitation and possible release into the wild where they can be free in their natural habitats.
Trucks were brought in to transport the poor animals. The dolphins were brought to spare sea pens at Dolphin Lodge Bali to begin their rehabilitation and evaluation. The other animals were brought to halfway homes at the Bali Zoo and the Safari Park in Bali.
It’s being reported that the dolphins swam with joy in the absence of concrete walls because it was the first time they experienced a natural environment since their capture.
Dolphin Project has been on the ground for years, working to put an end to dolphin exploitation all across Indonesia. They launched a Free Bali Dolphins campaign which is a major project to close exploitative operations. They advocate against traveling circuses and are educating people about the importance of marine conservation and informing them how captive dolphins suffer in the name of entertainment.
At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef we’re super happy about this news because we think all living creatures should be free to be themselves and not be forced to perform for money as a way of life. We’re so thankful there are organizations like Dolphin Project that care enough to do tough work and hold people and organizations accountable.
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What do you think about the rescuing of these animals from the Melka Excelsior Hotel? Leave a comment below.
(Cover image: Laiotz/Shutterstock)