Cheryl of Russia
Cheryl of Russia became victim of the extensive trade in Black Sea dolphins for public display. She performed her last trick in Water Land, the world's most abusive traveling dolphin show.
By Helene Hesselager O'Barry
Dig a hole in the ground and insert a plastic liner in it. Fill it with tap water and add bags of salt and gallons of chlorine: instant synthetic seawater. Then put some dolphins in the hole, and voila, you have Water Land, the world's most abusive traveling dolphin show.
Water Land, also known as Mundo Marino, originated in Cali, Colombia and features two, sometimes three, performing dolphins and up to three sea lions. The dolphins are presented as 'The Miami Dolphins,' and Water Land's brochure displays the logo of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA.)
According to customs records, the Water Land dolphin show began its tour February 11, 1996. In the following 15 months, it took its nomadic dolphin-show to eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, leaving behind a grotesque trail of empty holes.
After a stint in Jamaica, Water Land headed for Puerto Rico to 'offer the people of Puerto Rico both an educational and beautiful experience of our dolphins and sea lions,' according to the company's permit application. As a result of a strong animal welfare opposition, Water Land was denied entrance.
The show returned to Jamaica in September 1997. At the end of its run, the sea lions were put in small steel cages. The dolphins were recaptured and placed in coffin-like transport boxes, an extremely stressful and claustrophobic experience for marine mammals that normally float in a gravity-free ocean environment. A truck and a chartered airplane transported the animals to Venezuela, first to Caracas and then to Maracaibo where a newly dug hole in the ground was awaiting them.
Water Land tried to set up three separate venues in Maracaibo, but Mayor Manuel Rosales, who received faxes from around the world opposing the show, refused to issue the permits.
On October 12, 1997, a film crew from a new TV series, Earth Undercover, gained access to the Water Land dolphins in Maracaibo. The film crew, along with Ric O'Barry -- posing as a vacationing dolphin trainer from the Miami Seaquarium -- was allowed to inspect and photograph the animals. There were several Pepsi Cola and Polar Beer logos on the site, and according to Water Land road manager, Ruben Roca, these companies are sponsoring the show.
Entering Water Land's dark tent, the team encountered blasting disco music and the strong smell of chlorine. In a corner of the tent two sea lions languished in their cages. In the middle of the arena, surrounded by bleachers, two bottlenose dolphins floated listlessly in a small tank that was little more than a hole in the ground, measuring 12.5 meters in diameter and no more than 4 meters in depth.
O'Barry immediately recognized one of the dolphins as Cheryl, the Russian dolphin he had last seen in a filthy municipal swimming pool in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1993.
Cheryl is one of many Black Sea dolphins victimized by the comprehensive trade in dolphins for public display. Some of these Black Sea dolphins have been found in Malta, Israel, Argentina, Cyprus, Hungary, Argentina, Turkey, and Chile. In 1994, Cheryl was removed from Buenos Aires and reportedly transferred to Cali, Colombia, where she was enlisted in the Water Land traveling dolphin show.
The other dolphin was Bilin, captured in Cuba. Both had stretcher burns on their bodies from being transported. The trainers informed O'Barry that the dolphins, who had not eaten in quite a while, were very sick and would not perform. Earth Undercover's hidden cameras videotaped the scene as two veterinarians flown in from Mexico force-fed the dolphins.
The tent was very hot, and so was the water the dolphins were kept in. O'Barry reminded Roca and the vets that Cheryl, accustomed to the cold water of the Black Sea, was clearly suffering. He recommended icing the water to lower the dolphins' body temperature.
The next day hostile armed guards denied us access to the grounds. It appeared that Water Land was making an exit: The sea lions were outside in secured steel cages and a long curtain was stretched from the transport truck to the tent containing the dolphins. Ruben Roca had discovered who O'Barry really was and now claimed neither of the dolphins was sick.
By October 23, the trucks and all the equipment were still there, but the tent was down, rolled up on the ground, and the animals were gone. When we returned the following morning, accompanied by a local news team, the portable dolphin tank -- now a naked hole in the ground -- was being filled by a bulldozer, and all the trucks and the equipment were being spray-painted white, in what seemed to be an attempt to camouflage the road show. As we videotaped this, Roca's Colombian crew attacked one of the local cameramen and we were forced to leave.
The dolphins had reportedly been taken to Diver Land, an amusement park on the island of Margarita, off the coast of Venezuela. Hoping to find Cheryl and Bilin, our investigative team went to Margarita on October 29. Interpreter Evan Glassett and I entered Diver Land, posing as a couple writing a brochure on various tourist attractions on the island. We were met with open arms and given the complete tour by the park manager, a young woman named Margarita.
Diver Land consists of a series of concrete tanks, surrounded by a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster and a popcorn and Pepsi Cola stand. We counted four bottlenose dolphins --three in the main tank and one isolated in a small holding tank. Margarita identified the three as Mara, Betty and Bilin, all from Cuba, and the lone dolphin as Cheryl of Russia. The holding tank was located at a distance from the main tank, and all we could see of Cheryl was her dorsal fin and the upper part of her back. Walking toward the holding tank, we were immediately stopped by Margarita. We were more than welcome to look at, even play with, the three Cuban dolphins, she said -- but not Cheryl. We asked why Cheryl was in isolation and were told she was pregnant and needed peace and quiet. Then she introduced us to the owner of the park, Alejandro Scholtz. He confirmed that Diver Land is home base for the traveling dolphin show. We were told that Diver Land functions as 'a place for the dolphins to rest between shows on the road,' and we did see one of Water Land's trucks on the site. Road manager Ruben Roca, however, was not present during any of our stays at the park.
Under the pretext of needing a panoramic photograph of Diver Land for the tourist brochure, I asked if I could climb the Ferris wheel ladder. Scholtz readily approved and accompanied me to the top from where we had a good view of the holding tank. Cheryl, fully exposed to the hot sun, was lying motionless on the surface of the water. She appeared to be sick.
'So Cheryl is pregnant?' I said.
Scholtz gave a short laugh in surprise, 'Pregnant? I wish! No, she's just in a bad mood and needs to be alone.' He pointed toward the center of the park where a newly dug hole was being 'plated' with concrete. A new tank was under construction since Diver Land was expecting the arrival of four new dolphins from Cuba in three weeks. They were to be used in a dolphin-assisted-therapy program.
'Originally, we wanted to put a killer whale on display but they are impossible to get hold of these days, too much paperwork involved', said Scholtz. He added: 'Getting bottlenose dolphins from Cuba, however, that's a simple piece of business.'
Climbing down the ladder I inquired how much Diver Land pays for each dolphin. 'We pay $130,000 for a trained dolphin, $40,000 for one fresh from the wild, untrained.' Scholtz went on to say that Diver Land prefers the pre-trained dolphins. 'They are more expensive, but the investment pays off in the long run. By the time they get here, they are already trained to do about 30 different tricks. That means we can use them in the shows right away.'
Evan and I returned to the park on the next evening to observe the marine mammal show, and we watched the nine sea lions as they played the trumpet, kissed their trainer and applauded their own tricks. Then came the turn for the dolphins to perform the so-called 'educational experience.'
According to Waterland's own advertisement, the dolphin show serves the purpose of entertaining the public as well as promoting the protection of aquatic species worldwide. It is then proudly added that the show is 'praised by the International Marine Animal Trainers Association, IMATA.' For the next 30 minutes, the audience cheered and applauded as Betty, Mara, and Bilin jumped through hoops, let their trainer ride them by their dorsal fins, and pulled children around the tank in a small rubber boat. The holding tank, however, was empty. Cheryl was nowhere to be seen.
On October 31, we flew low over the park in rented ultra light airplanes to make sure Cheryl had not simply been moved to a tank behind the show tank. But we counted only three dolphins, and the next day we entered the park once again to inquire what had happened to Cheryl. This time we were greeted by Margarita, marine biologist Alejandro Cumarri, and Diver Land's dive master, Ricardo Roca, who is in charge of Diver Land's popular swim-with-the-dolphins program. Cumarri assured us that Cheryl was doing fine and had been sent back to Maracaibo to perform there. When we said we were in fact planning a trip to Maracaibo and would definitely visit the dolphin show, Cumarri became very evasive. He turned towards Margarita who contradicted his explanation by insisting that Cheryl was pregnant. 'She has been sent to Cuba where they have experts to take care of pregnant dolphins. And that's all I have to say about Cheryl.' Walking us to the exit gate, Margarita was overheard telling Cumarri, in Spanish: 'From now on, if anybody asks, Cheryl is in Cuba.'
We subsequently learned that no permit had been issued to move Cheryl or any other dolphin to Cuba or any other destination. There was no doubt: Cheryl was dead. She had died between the afternoon of October 29 and evening of October 30, and Diver Land was covering it up. A few days later, Evan Glassett ran into the owner of the dive shop that contracts the swim program at Diver Land. He told Glassett in confidence that Cheryl had indeed died. When asked how Cheryl had died, he replied: 'Her heart burst from stress.'
The following morning, the Earth Undercover video team and O'Barry confronted Margarita and Ricardo Roca. Both acted surprised at the mention of Cheryl. They claimed they had never had four dolphins and then -- quite abruptly -- ejected us from the park.
Sky TV, London and Parador Productions documented the story of Cheryl for the television series Earth Undercover. This particular episode is entitled 'Dolphin Smuggling'.
