Title: FW: [globalnews] Ocean Sanctity: Eight Dolphins of the Virgin Mary
>>Ocean Sanctity
> Eight Dolphins of the Virgin Mary
From: Richard O'Barry, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: 12/13/02
Eight Dolphins of the Virgin Mary
By: Ric O'Barry
The legend began in the small fishing village of Bayahibe, (pronounced
buy-a-hebay) which is located on the southeastern coast of the Dominica
Republic.
In the year 1925, an annual celebration was organized by the local
fisherman to give thanks to the Virgin Mary whom they considered to be
the "divine shepherd" of the fishing boats of Bayahibe. The nine-day
event climaxed with a colorful boat procession along the coast. Word of
this event traveled far and wide, and in 1954 a Franciscan Monk who had
heard of the celebration traveled from Brazil to the village to
participate. He brought with him the gift of a beautiful painting of the
Virgin Mary, which was lovingly restored and then hung in a place of
prominence, above the alter in the village church. On May second of each
year, which is the ninth and final day of the celebration, the painting
is carefully removed from the church and placed into the lead boat in the
procession. The boat is beautifully decorated with flowers that surround
the painting of the Virgin Mary.
To this day, the nine day celebration is very important to the village
people of Bayahibe. It is their way of giving thanks to the Virgin Mary
for protecting the fisherman throughout the year. It is also the time
that they pray to Virgin Mary for protection during the upcoming year.
On May 2 2002, a very unusual and beautiful thing happened. During the
parade of boats, a group of dolphins -- some say a group of eight---
surrounded the boat that carried the painting of the Virgin Mary. This
was the first time that this had ever happened. In fact this was the
first time that the villagers have ever seen the dolphins up close. The
dolphins of Bayahibe have always kept their distance from humans, as most
wild dolphins do, and nobody in the village could remember a time that
the dolphins came so close.
This beautiful scene amazed the people who witnessed the procession boat
full of flowers, the beloved painting and the dolphins leading the
procession, it was indeed a sight to behold. In fact, the village people
were so impressed with this unusual event, they have commissioned a group
of artists to paint a mural of this spectacular scene in the village.
Enter the Dragon.
In August 2002, just three months after the celebration, a cruel and
terrible thing happened in the early morning hours as the village slept.
Eight dolphins were violently captured in the nearby waters of the Parque
Nacional del Este, which is the largest protected natural reserve in the
Dominican Republic. The captures were the work of the local dolphinarium
known as Manati Park. The village was outraged and vowed to liberate the
eight dolphins that had been taken from their waters. The villagers
started a search for the dolphins, guessing that the dolphins were kept
in a temporary sea pen someplace along the coast. Had this been the case,
they would have simply freed the dolphins by cutting the fence that
separated the dolphins from their family and pod members. But the
villagers could not find the dolphins, and with good reason: The eight
victim dolphins were hidden away, out of sight and under heavy security
in a tank on the back lot of Manati Park, just one hour by truck from the
village.
The village prayed to the Virgin Mary for guidance in their efforts to
liberate the eight dolphins. The local environmental group Fundation
Bayahibe took the lead role and organized a campaign to free the eight
dolphins of the Virgin Mary, with help from the Academy of Science, local
animal welfare/environmental organizations "Fundation Dominicana de
Estudios Marinos" (FUNDEMAR), and "Patronato Amigos de los Animales"
(PADELA) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for
help and support. Lawyers for the coalition maintain that the captures
were a violation of Dominican Republic law; article 175 of the law 64-00
of the environment, which declares that the capture and exploitation of
resources that could be a detriment or cause the death of legally
protected species like dolphins is forbidden. Furthermore, it underlines
that these actions violate the protocol on flora and fauna of the
Agreement of the Cartagena Convention as well as other treaties, both
regional and international.
Therefore, according to these statutes, both the Minister of the
Environment, who issued the capture permit, and Manati Park, who captured
the dolphins in the marine sanctuary known as Parque National del Este,
are in violation of the laws of the Dominican Republic.
Dolphin advocates are fighting for the release of the dolphins taken
under these illegal circumstances and to halt any further captures in the
waters of the Dominican Republic.
Richard O'Barry
Marine Mammal Specialist
World Society for the Protection of Animals
WSPA
Phone/Fax: 305-668 1619
www.freethedolphins.com
www.dolphinproject.org
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Larry Morningstar
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.freeyourself.net/Prosperity4U
http://www.gmtiassociate.com/larrymorningstar.htm
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*:-.,_,.-:*'`` Ocean Sanctity Newsletter ``'*:-.,_,.-:*
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Purpose of this list:
To Preserve Ocean Sanctity
To Ensure a safe home for Whales and Dolphins and all
denizens of the sea, and a safe place for humans
to visit.
To Find safe alternatives to the Navy's LFAS & NPAL
Sonar Testing and Deployment
LFAS = "Low Frequency Active Sonar"
NPAL = "North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory"
project, formerly called ATOC
To See an end to the testing and deployment of other
dangerous acoustic technologies such.
To Promote respectful interspecies interaction.
Providing:
Updates, Articles, Stories, Alerts, Poems, and Quotes
relating to Dolphins, Whales, and other inhabitants of
the seas, and to our Oceans.
Volume - low, usually 1 or 2 newsletters per month,
plus the occasional **Alert**
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And remember...
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can change the world;
Indeed it is the only thing
that ever has!"
Margaret Meade
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