The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A DEPARTMENT of Marine Resources senior official yesterday denied claims by concerned local environmental activists that a mother dolphin and her recently born male calf were allegedly separated prematurely at Blackbeard’s Cay.

Michael Braynen, director of marine resources, told The Tribune that the department has “already looked into the matter” with the verdict being “that the mother and calf have not been separated”.

This week, Sam Duncombe, director of ReEarth, along with Kim Terrell, a retired zoologist who worked in The Bahamas for years, claimed that a dolphin calf had been prematurely weaned at the Balmoral Island facility. The two women charged that the “outrageous” separation of the two animals, just under three months after the calf’s birth, could result in death for the calf.

Mrs Duncombe claimed the calf, which The Tribune understands was born in May, was allegedly separated from his mother for breeding purposes.

The women called on the government to intervene on the matter, with Ms Terrell stressing that something must be done soon before “this little male dolphin dies due to the stupidity of taking him from his mom before he can survive”.

Ms Terrell, in particular, stressed that the Bahamas Marine Mammal Protection Act must be upheld and its rules enforced.

When contacted yesterday on the matter, however Mr Braynen said: “We’ve already looked into the matter. The verdict is that the mother and calf have not been separated,” he added.

When pressed further on whether the department found anything concerning at the Balmoral Island facility, Mr Braynen repeated: “The mother and calf have not been separated.”

This is the latest round of controversy to hit Blackbeard’s Cay, particularly with regards to the dolphins kept on the property.

On August 31, 2015, Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs issued an order reinforcing his July 27, 2014, judgment in favour of ReEarth’s judicial review application to challenge the permits/approvals received by the Blackbeard’s Cay project.

The order required both Prime Minister Perry Christie and the Town Planning Committee to mandate that Blue Illusions, the development’s operator, cease developing the island and restore the land to its original condition.

And V Alfred Gray, as minister of agriculture and fisheries, was required to remove the eight dolphins at the facility to a new, “appropriate location”.

Then, in a December 17, 2015, ruling, Justice Milton Evans found that the eight dolphins belonged to their Honduran supplier, Instituto De Ciencias Marinas (IMS), and not Samir Andrawos, the principal of Blue Illusions.

However, the government has yet to act on both Justice Isaacs’ order and the subsequent ruling by Justice Evans.