The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A local environmental advocate has questioned the soundness of Blackbeard Cay’s hurricane disaster and recovery plan, charging that a “global tragedy” could occur if the nine dolphins kept at the Balmoral Island facility are washed “out to sea” because of a hurricane.

Sam Duncombe, director of ReEarth, in a June 24 letter to Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources V Alfred Gray, said a “relevant” hurricane disaster and recovery plan is “critical” to the well being of the dolphins, a lack of which she said “puts the lives of the nine dolphins at an unacceptable risk”.

She said in the event of a hurricane, the dolphins at the site will be subject to “severe mental stress, physical trauma and probable mortality”.

Ms Duncombe also said not having a proper hurricane plan in place has “the potential to put human lives at risk and thus reflects poorly on the Bahamian government’s ability to ensure the safety of both dolphins and our citizens”.

She subsequently called on Mr Gray to exercise his powers under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to “appoint a competent body to take the dolphins into care in the event of a hurricane warning” and “grant all the permissions necessary to move the animals to a safe place during a hurricane”. She added that ReEarth is prepared to assist the government “in any way needed so that the risks of loss and mortality for citizens and dolphins are reduced”.

International weather officials have said this hurricane season could be the busiest in almost five years. Weather experts have predicted a 70 per cent chance of 12 to 17 named storms forming, and the potential for two to four major hurricanes.

As of yesterday, weather forecasters said a “budding tropical disturbance” located some 1,000 miles southeast of Miami has the potential to strengthen significantly and hit The Bahamas and Florida with strong winds, coastal flooding and torrential rainfall in the coming days.

Against that backdrop, Mrs Duncombe said special attention should be given to ensuring that the nine dolphins secured at Blackbeard’s Cay, which is directly opposite the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort, are properly secured should a hurricane hit The Bahamas.

She said Bahamian officials “have the opportunity to avoid the harsh condemnation and backlash that would follow” if harm were to befall the nine dolphins as well as provide a “regional example of what can be done to protect life against the irresistible force of nature”.

“In the event of a severe storm and/or hurricane, the nine dolphins at Blackbeard’s Cay will be subject to severe mental stress, physical trauma and probable mortality,” she said. “Blackbeard’s Cay is a small, unprotected island and offers no natural or man-made protection from storm winds and waves. Leaving animals or humans exposed to such conditions is simply unjust.

“We learned from Hurricane Joaquin last year that our situation can change with very short notice. We must take every advantage from the lessons learned last year: to anticipate, plan and safely execute the plan with efficiency in order to save lives.”

In her letter, Mrs Duncombe also highlighted many international instances where hurricanes ravaged facilities where dolphins were being kept captive, such as Hurricane Gert in 1999, Hurricane Marty in 2003, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

She added: “If a hurricane does wash these nine dolphins out to sea--as has occurred in other such incidents in hurricane zones, and their caretakers are lost, it will be a global tragedy. We have the opportunity to avoid the harsh condemnation and backlash that would follow, and provide a regional example of what can be done to protect life against the irresistible and unpredictable force of nature.”