Vancouver Sun - Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Ex-aquarium official linked to big sale of wild dolphins -The transaction involved the capture of more than 90 dolphins
By Yvonne Zacharias
A former head trainer at the Vancouver Aquarium has landed himself in hot water because of his involvement in the world's biggest sale of wild dolphins.
Christopher Porter, 33, along with foreign partners have touched off an international furore for catching more than 90 Pacific bluenose dolphins for the tourist trade, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times.
The story says Porter led the group of partners in the sale of 28 dolphins to Parque Nizuc in Cancun, Mexico, where swimming with the animals is a popular tourist attraction.
In the largest transfer of wild dolphins ever recorded by international regulators, the report says, a chartered DC-10 arrived from Brazil in July and flew the animals from the impoverished Solomon Islands, off the coast of Australia, to their new home.
Those involved in the deal say they complied with the laws of Mexico and the Solomon Islands, but the transaction infuriated animal welfare activists, who oppose keeping the highly intelligent animals in captivity.
All 28 dolphins survived the 17-hour flight, but one died a week later, apparently from ailments associated with stress. Following the death, the Mexican government suspended the import of dolphins from the Solomon Islands. where 55 of the animals remain in captivity. Nine more have died there from stress and illness.
Clint Wright, vice-president of operations and animal management at the Vancouver Aquarium, described Porter as an excellent trainer, an excellent employee and a high-energy person. He praised him for having intuitive, innovative ways of working with animals.
Porter handled marine mammals at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria from October 1989 until the facility folded in October 1993. From October 1994 until June 1998, he held a similar position at the Vancouver aquarium. Since July 1998, he told Solomon Island officials, he had worked for the Aquario di Genova in Italy.
But Wright said Porter returned to the Vancouver Aquarium to work with sea lions on a contract basis from last December to February of this year.
He was brought back because "we knew and trusted him in terms of his training ability."
He knew Porter was involved in many dealings elsewhere, but he didn't know exactly what they were. Wright said that in some ways, he wasn't surprised to hear Porter was involved in such a high-flying deal. "He is a high energy, highly motivated person."
But "I would be very surprised if the animals were not well looked after. And based on the way he worked for us, I don't think he would have avoided the rules."
The Vancouver Aquarium has had a policy since 1996 of not housing animals captured in the wild, but Annelise Sorg, director of the B.C.-based Coalition for No Whales in Captivity, said the policy is so full of loopholes, it is practically meaningless.
Wright said the aquarium would have to look very carefully into what happened in the Cancun deal before hiring Porter back. It would be reluctant to do so if Wright did not follow guidelines set out by the international Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and if he did not provide appropriate scientific documentation to support the move of the animals.
Sorg said the surviving dolphins are living in deplorable conditions in Cancun. Because they have no shade, they are suffering from sunburn, she added.
She called on Wright and aquarium president John Nightingale to use their influence with Porter to have the dolphins released.
© Copyright 2003 Vancouver Sun
ACTION ALERT: Please write letters to the editor of the Vancouver Sun sunletters@png.canwest.com
FOR MORE INFO VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.whaleprotection.org
Annelise Sorg, Director
Coalition For No Whales In Captivity
Box 461 - 1755 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 3B7 Canada
Tel (604) 736-9514
E-mail cfnwic@whaleprotection.org