2024: A Year in Review

As 2024 comes to a close, all of us at Dolphin Project would like to thank the countless individuals who stood alongside us physically and virtually, as we achieved many milestones on a global level.

Amongst our accomplishments this year: we won crucial lawsuits filed against the town of Taiji, Japan – site of the notorious dolphin slaughters and captive selections – in our search for evidence of illegal activities, opening up the floodgates to a wealth of information pertaining to the drive hunts. We expanded our primate facilities at the multi-purpose Umah Lumba Center in West Bali, Indonesia, enabling us to rescue even more abused performing monkeys. We provided veterinary care and found homes for abandoned companion animals. We provided free education to Balinese schoolchildren, and hosted students from visiting universities. We confiscated, rehabilitated and successfully released several endangered sea turtles who were caught in the illegal turtle meat trade. Save the Disney Dolphins – our joint campaign with a local activist, was a major success, with Epcot removing all live dolphins from its park. After years of campaigning with local activists against dolphin captivity in Belgium, a permanent ban was placed on dolphinariums. We responded to a situation involving abandoned dolphins at Balmoral Island, Nassau, Bahamas. And, after decades campaigning against the Miami Seaquarium, Miami-Dade County moved to evict the facility.

On a personal note – perhaps the most important (and time consuming) aspect of what I do – is networking, inspiring, mentoring, and advising every single day. The requests come from our followers, both long time and new, colleagues, and even detractors looking for advice regarding the complex dolphin captivity issue. For as long as I am able, I will be present and willing to answer these questions.

For over 54 years, Dolphin Project has been advocating for dolphins worldwide. We are pleased to share that our work also encompasses environmental initiatives as well as the protection of other animals. These milestones could never have been reached without your support.

Together, let’s make positive waves of change in 2025!

P.S. As we work to expand our efforts to help even more animals in need, please consider giving generously. Through December 31, your gift gives twice, with every donation matched dollar for dollar up to $50K!

Ric O’Barry, Founder/Director of Dolphin Project

Ric O’Barry
Founder/Director of Dolphin Project

Community Outreach Efforts Expanded, Bali, Indonesia

Lucky, a confiscated endangered green sea turtle is released after six months of intensive rehabilitation and medical care at our Turtle Hospital/Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Stevie, a long-tailed macaque monkey, has seen his fair share of tragedy. At just six months of age, as another victim of the illegal wildlife trade, his mother was killed by poachers and he was sold as a pet. Luckily just over one month ago, Stevie was rescued and is now in our care at our Primate Rehabilitation Center/Umah Lumba Center in West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

We make learning fun at the Umah Lumba free school for students, Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Our Indonesia team conducts marine mammal stranding training, Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

With so much wildlife in need, and authorities trusting us to assist with urgent wildlife issues, we have cared for many animals this year, all in need of rescue and rehabilitation. While protecting dolphins will always be our primary focus, we have expanded our community outreach efforts at the multi-purpose Umah Lumba Center in West Bali, Indonesia, including: confiscating, rehabilitating and releasing even more endangered, or critically endangered sea turtles (read about Lucky’s confiscation, rehabilitation and release here), expanding our primate rehabilitation facility (read about Stevie’s confiscation and rehabilitation here), and providing veterinary care and helping to adopt out companion animals.

Onsite, we operate a free school, where 67 children from neighboring villages come to study English and learn the importance of marine conservation. In addition, we provided a two-day workshop to 40 veterinary students from Udayana University on animal welfare, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts. In the fishing villages around west and northern Bali, as well as in Jember, east Java, our team organized 11 marine mammal stranding trainings this year.

We are also doing our part to support the environment, this year, planting 10,000 mangrove trees to bring our grand total to 37,700 trees planted. Learn more about our community outreach in Bali here.

Advocating for Dolphins at Global Events 

It’s time for dolphins to roam wild and free. Empty the Tanks!

Cleaning up our beaches and waterways means less trash ingested by sea birds and other marine wildlife.

On April 14, I, along with many concerned individuals protested at the Miami Seaquarium. On May 11 and 12, hundreds of activists at 64 locations from around the world peacefully advocated for dolphins during the 12th Annual Empty the Tanks Worldwide Event. Next up was our Global Beach Cleanup on June 8, coinciding with World Ocean Day. Finally, September 1 launched Dolphin Defender Month where people demonstrated against the Taiji dolphin slaughters and captive dolphin trade. You can read more about Dolphin Project events here.

Taiji Lawsuit Victory, Japan

Japanese activists say NO to dolphin captivity and slaughters.

Thanks to a positive ruling on May 17 from Japan’s high court after a nearly three-year long legal battle against Taiji, the site of the brutal dolphin slaughters and captures (as chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove), we have acquired thousands of pages of documentation pertaining to the sales, exportation and inventories for live dolphins. For decades there has been a great effort to conceal not only the drive hunts, but also the information of where live-captured dolphins were going, how many die during the training process, and much more.

During the 2023/24 dolphin drive season in Taiji, far fewer dolphins were either slaughtered for their meat, or taken for a “life” in captivity than any other year since Dolphin Project started monitoring the hunts. We take this as a positive sign and hope that the numbers continue to decline during the 2024/25 hunting season.

Lease Termination Notice Issued to Miami Seaquarium, Florida

Miami Seaquarium main entrance

For decades, Dolphin Project has vigorously campaigned against the Miami Seaquarium’s use of captive dolphins. Including the death of the world’s most famous captive orca, Lolita in August, 2023, over 120 dolphins have died at the facility. Between 2021 and 2023, three inspection reports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited serious problems at the facility, some allegedly including drastic food restriction, poor water flow, and potentially placing incompatible animals together resulting in injuries and/or deaths to marine animals. After obtaining over 23,000 signatures asking the County to terminate the lease with Miami Seaquarium, on March 7, the office of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava sent a “Notice of Termination of Lease” letter to the president of Miami Seaquarium’s parent company, The Dolphin Company. On October 2, a county judge denied Miami-Dade’s motion for eviction, and sent both sides to mediation, thus, the fight is far from over.

Abandoned Dolphins Investigated, Nassau, Bahamas

Abandoned dolphins at Balmoral Island, Nassau, Bahamas

On invitation, Ric O’Barry visits Balmoral Island, Nassau, Bahamas where five dolphins have been abandoned. Credit: DolphinProject.com

In early May of this year, Dolphin Project was alerted to the news of an abandoned captive dolphin facility on Balmoral Island, Nassau, Bahamas. Closed during the COVID pandemic, the tourist attraction never re-opened and the dolphins were left in limbo. A few days later, with an invitation to inspect the dolphins and the abandoned facility I was able to witness the conditions firsthand. Dolphin Project asked the Bahamian government to immediately implement life-saving interventions for the remaining five dolphins. On May 10, The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources advised that all five remaining dolphins were removed from the premises and transported to Atlantis’ Animal Care facility for further observation, and medical care.

Keeping the Momentum Going in Europe

Protesting the exploitation of dolphins at the Duisburg Zoo in Germany, together with the German NGO “Freedom for Dolphins and Whales.” Credit: Ron Weimann

Monitoring the bottlenose dolphins at Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain. Credit: Helene O’Barry

The campaign to support local activists in Europe is still ongoing, and we are working with a German NGO to make Germany dolphinarium-free. We started protesting the Hagenbeck Zoo about 30 years ago when there were about a dozen captive dolphin facilities in Germany. Today, there are only two left: one in Duisburg and one in Nuremberg. We intend to shut them down.

Victory in Belgium! Dolphin Project first began protesting dolphin captivity in Antwerp, Belgium in 1999, alongside several Belgian dolphin freedom activists. When the dolphin theater at the Antwerp Zoo closed down that same year, the Boudewijn Seapark became the owner of the country’s last remaining dolphinarium. The good news is, Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare Ben Weyts announced on November 17 that Flanders will enforce a permanent ban on dolphinariums. The Boudewijn Seapark, where seven bottlenose dolphins languish inside a dreary concrete theater, has been told it must close its doors no later than 2037. The victory shows that protesting works.

Helene O’Barry continues to monitor the remaining orcas and dolphins at Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain. Dolphin Project strongly encourages TUI to finally put ethics over profits and stop selling tickets to Loro Parque and other facilities that exploit orcas and other dolphins as tourist attractions . As the largest tourism business in the world, TUI has a responsibility to lead by example, and this is why we are targeting TUI. TAKE ACTION and sign the petition here.

No More Dolphins at Disney!

We said NO to captive dolphins at Disney! Credit: DolphinProject.com

After working alongside local activist Izzy Megilley on our Save the Disney Dolphins campaign and collecting nearly 30,000 signatures asking Disney to retire the captive dolphins at Epcot, in October, the park announced that all live dolphins will be removed from the park. Disney cited for it’s reason, a commitment to prioritize the wellbeing of the mammals. While we advocated for Disney to provide a proper retirement for its dolphins, we are pleased that they are now a dolphin-free attraction.

Dolphin Project: 54 Years and Going STRONG!

We’re celebrating 54 years protecting dolphins! Credit: DolphinProject.com

April 22 marked Dolphin Project’s 54th birthday. As part of our birthday fundraiser, I, along with Dolphin Project volunteers, participated in a whale watch on April 20 and 21 on Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari in Dana Point, California. For two days, people from all parts of the world got to witness dolphins and other whales swimming wild and free in their natural habitat. A fabulous time was had by all, and crucial operating funds were raised for Dolphin Project.

Our mission today remains the same as it did when I founded Dolphin Project back in 1970: Let’s protect dolphins together!