I am told that this project has been approved at all levels of government and is now certain to proceed, I believe on Turneffe. It involves dolphins held permanently captive in a pen so that humans can pay (handsomely, I'm sure) to swim with them. It will be a great moneyspinner for the lady behind it, though I believe it is being presented as having some ecological/ conservation role. The dolphins will apparently have been bred in captivity.

I can't help wondering what the late husband of the lady behind this scheme would have said about it. I can't think of any suitable words - perhaps others may be more eloquent.

The "foundation" is a farcical means to exploit dolphins and people in an effort to bring in major moolah for the misguided or perhaps greedy evil woman. How she can sleep at night evades me. I'll be no friend to this project and will disuade as many people as possible from visiting the bastion of misery. Who wants to visit a place knowing that healthy intelligent animals are held captive against their will in a pen? The Government of Belize should be ashamed of itself for approving this project.

I've never supported these projects in any country! I prefer seeing the dolphins in the wild, which I have on 2 different occasions. Your right it is nothing but a money maker for the people behind it, I feel sorry for the dolphins involved in these projects. How would humans feel if they were exploited this way?
Coco

Well.........why....then is the "World Famous" chicken drop ok?

It's ok to exploit chickens for entertainment reasons?

Is anyone familiar with Anthony's Caye in the Bay Islands? Dolpins in open water.

Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences

I've swum (dived) with dolphins in the wild and it's a magical experience. Their intelligence is beyond doubt, and they seem consistently well disposed to man. A shame that man doesn't reciprocate.

Just don't fence them in. Dolphins have interacted with humans for thousands of years in good faith. They are intelligent and need to be free. SIN I am familiar with A's Caye in the Bays. Leave the animals to their own choosing, the better the rest of the ecosystem.

I was swimming with wild dolphins last week. It is a magical experience, as Pedro2 said. They were as close to me as the screen on my computer and all of their own initiative. The idea of bringing these animals into some sort of captivity or training environment is repugnant to me.

It's sad to see the organisors of this project and those who approved it taking Belize backwards in the world of eco tourism rather than forwards. It is probable that the dolphins they acquire will already have been moved from pillar to post as a result of failed commercial ventures. Sadly that is what tends to happen to captive dolphins. While it is much better for captive dolphins to participate in training as a form of mental stimulation and while I am sure that somewhere in the commercial plans for this operation there have been good intentions, it would have shown far more foresight, intelligence and sensitivity to have done something radical and different with this project. These dolphins can't be released if they are captive, but a sanctuary where they could be observed and researched and where people could watch them from observation areas without interfering with them, stressing them or putting them at risk of disease would have been fantastic. Even ecotourists would be interested in seeing something like that if the priority were to teach marine conservation. My prediction is that due to the fact that more and more tourists are eco aware and careful where they spend their money, it will go bust and the dolphins will once again be made homeless and moved somewhere else. As SIN says, there is a lot of thoughtless cruelty towards animals going on every day but because chickens, pigs, cows etc don't have a cute little smile, they are less worthy of our sentiment. I am not a bunny hugger or anything like that. I had a great rare rib eye last night. But it came from a farm where I know the welfare of the animals is paramount. I try to be as consistant with my values in regard to animal welfare as possible. People who are hypocritical and only come out to save the animals they think are cute and smart but happily commercially exploit other animals without a thought to their welfare give a whole lot of ammunition to the other side through their hypocrisy. This ammunition is exactly why places like this are allowed to be developed.

Haven't been to the Chicken Drop either!
Coco

No matter what my personal feelings are with regards to swimming with Dolphins in captivity (I am against it) I do know the lady behind it personally and cannot sit by and have her reffered to as a evil woman etc.

Anybody that knows her personally will tell you she is a very nice person and while this particular project is controversial that does not make her an evil person she has done tremendous good prior to this and while this is extremely controversial in my opinion I always knew it would be approved.

Sad but a reality of the route Belize has chosen to proceed with its development.

Gaz Cooper

She may be a nice person Gaz, but her decision to exploit dolphins for money is not humane. No one held a gun to her head to make her go for the almighty $ at the expense of animals who will suffer a great deal for her pleasure. Just because the project received governmental approval does not make it a fine worthy endeavor. She is what she is.

Those dolphins need to band together and kick some people butt. That will put a stop to this nonsense.

FWIW, I don't even cage my chickens.

I don't like the label "evil" either and think it is over the top. But people must expect to be judged by their actions, and this one seems pretty shabby.

Who here has even owned a fish tank?

If not for Ms. Parkey's self-sacrificing efforts in assisting to build this Nation's tourism product, their remains no doubt, some of you would not know Belize.

If any one person is to be in charge of this project, the Parkey's foundation is the safest and wisest choice. With such people monitoring and administering such a program, it shall have the highest levels of concerns for the marine environment.

Whom would you choose to operate this? Government? Or a Government insider? Think twice before you cast judgement.

SIN

Project to cage dolphins for humans was approved a while ago and will be constructed on Spanish Lookout Caye, 9 miles from Belize City. I'm very close friends with Teresa Parkey and her partners, who all very decent people. I don't think its right, but I sincerely believe they will attempt to run a first class facility.

UNEXSO(underwater explorers society) started a program back in the mid 80's in Freeport Grand Bahama Island, I was amazed at the number of cruise ship people they brought in, they moved them to a private caye and had all kinds of programs like dolphin trainer for a day, they got to the point after a few years where they would take them out in the ocean & have small groups 6 divers dive with them for about $120 per person, it was always in a sandy area with no reef around.
They would video everything & sell the videos.
At the time I believe this was thier biggest money maker.They did shark feedings the same way with video. I never participated in the dolphin program because I did'nt approve of it,I did many of the shark feeds it was a real rush.
I was there a couple of years ago and their diving programs has really dropped off,
Neal Watson has taken over the shark dives as well as most of the diving on the Island.
The only thing keeping UNEXSO going was the dolphins.I did my Naui Instructors Training there in 1990 & learned much about their operation.
Again I do not approve of the dolphin program,but I know they made a ton of money off them,They were taking about 120-150 tourists a day at their peak,mostly to watch them do tricks & swim with them for extra cash.

I'll withdraw the word evil and insert greedy instead. Nice as she is, this project is setting a low standard for ecotourism in Belize, not to mention a cruel method of obtaining tourist dollars. She could alternatively invest in a project which ferrys tourists to see the dolphins and other animals in the wild habitats throughout the sea off Belize?

I'm told that these ventures elsewhere have often started well and earned their instigators a fortune, but have later gone sour and closed. The wise entrepreneur (sorry, should that be "ecologist"?) times it right and gets out in time, making a bundle. I'll watch the progress of this one and the behaviour of the key participants with considerable interest.