Ecobreves – MEXICO: Dolphins Out of Place

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

MEXICO CITY, Feb 2 2004 (IPS) - The International Fund for Animals Welfare accused the Mexican authorities of dragging its feet in responding to reports of the import of 28 dolphins from the Salomon Islands and their shipment to an area where the introduction of non-native species is prohibited. Six months have passed since the importation of the dolphins, which violated international law, Beatriz Bugeda, spokeswoman for the Fund in Latin America, told Tierramérica. They are being kept in a sea cove, separated from native dolphins only by a mesh screen.

These sea mammals were imported for the Parque Atlántica, a tourist attraction near the eastern resort of Cancún, in a protected area of Mexico's Caribbean coast.

“We made the denunciation last year to the Federal Environmental Prosecutor of Mexico, but strangely they have delayed in their investigation and the implementation of measures, which is why we are demanding immediate action so there is no precedent for impunity,” Bugeda said.