WILLEMSTAD, JEDDAH - Curaçao mourns the death of dolphin Mosa. The bottlenose dolphin is one of five dolphins that was transferred from Curaçao to Saudi Arabia in June after much commotion. There, at the Fakieh Aquarium in Jeddah, she swam against the edge of the basin at high speed.  

Mosa died from a large amount of blood in her lungs. Transferring the dolphins to Jeddah was very much against Animal Rights' wishes. "Keeping such large and intelligent animals in small basins is a horrific form of abuse," campaign coordinator Anna Krijger said. “It is known that dolphins consciously or unconsciously self-mutilate or take their own life under these circumstances. Moreover, the suggestion that the animal was so bothered by her hormones that she wanted to harm herself is completely out of the blue.”  

The latter statement comes from spokesman Elior Boeldak of the Curaçao Sea Aquarium Park, which sold Mosa and four other dolphins to the Fakieh Aquarium. “It is quite common for female dolphins to die between the ages of 6 and 10 when they start to ovulate, when they are adults and can make babies,” he told Curaçaoan radio station Dolfijn.fm. “We also experienced that here, with other dolphins. It's sad, but things like that happen to animals.” 

Boeldak points out that Animal Rights cannot know anything about Mosa's cause of death, because the organization has not seen the autopsy report. Animal Rights filed a lawsuit over the sale of the five dolphins. The judge ruled in June that the animals could only leave the island if the permits were in order and that was the case. The substantive hearing of the case is scheduled for September 7. Krijger: "It is too late for Mosa now, but for the remaining four dolphins in Jeddah and all other dolphins that are kept in captivity for entertainment worldwide, this matter is vital.” 

The decision of the Curaçao Sea Aquarium to reduce the number of dolphins is partly due to the poor financial situation of the park as a result of the corona pandemic. The dolphin population had also become too large, according to the organization. Therefore, three female and two male dolphins between the ages of 5 and 10 were sold.  

Animal Rights opposed the transfer because the conditions in the 'concrete aquarium' in Jeddah would be worse than in Curaçao. According to the organization, the animals live in a swimming pool with chlorinated water in the new shelter and sandstorms from the surrounding desert are causing nuisance.