19101: Labrom: Re Dolphins!! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

voyageslumiere@haitelonline.com

Well in the midst of all the bad news when CNN are reporting erroneously
that the Intl. Community are giving the 'Rebels' 24 hours to rethink
their decision - instead of saying the 'Opposition', I thought I would
bring you some light relief.

I was just out at the beach for the weekend - yes, having a little relax
time - nobody in the hotel - I have never seen the beach hotels so empty
of the usual crowd of foreigners, expats, Diaspora and the Elite.  I
felt so sorry for the hotel management and for the staff who have had
their salaries cut because of the lack of business.

Anyway I heard about a program started by the Mexicans - whether govt.
or private I do not know. In agreement with the Haitian Govt. they came
here about 8 months ago and went to St. Louis du Sud - after Aquin and
before Cavaillon - to work with some dolphins who were down there - I
had no idea we had dolphins in Haiti!!! Anyway the Mexicans were having
problems with the local community so they decided with the help of Jose
Roy from Pegasus Diving Club (at Kaliko) to bring the dolphins over to
one of the Arcadin Islands (between Kaliko and La Gonave).  They
transported them first of all by trucks, packed with ice from St. Louis
du Sud to Miragoane, and then took the 6 dolphins by boat from there to
the island. The Mexican guys are working with the dolphins to train them
to take them to a Seaquarium in Mexico. And before you all complain
about the cruelty in this, just think of the alternative.  The locals
would probably end up killing and eating them as the know nothing about
these animals. There was hope for a project for a Seaquarium here in
Haiti to give kids the chance of seeing these wonderful beasts, but at
the moment its impossible.

Well I went over in the boat to see them on Sunday and was 4 inches from
nose to nose with them. They are so great. They are in a fairly large
penned in area and some local men are guarding them. They are being fed
imported frozen Chilean fish and they are being checked for illnesses,
had their blood samples taken etc. and being well looked after by the
Mexican guys and Jose.

They were getting ready to move them on Sunday into two different pens
so they had more room.

But it was a lovely change in the midst of all this crisis to see these
wonderful animals.

Please don't all rush in your boats to see them or Jose will kill me!!!

Jacqui Labrom


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