Dolphin Discovery in Grand Cayman - Grand Opening!

[lilpootr]

Hello Everyone! I was just doing some planning for our upcoming cruise and noticed that the Dolphin Discovery is planning a Dec 08 opening in Grand Cayman. They are even offering a Grand Opening special, check it out! http://www.*****grand-cayman/cayman-location-overview.asp

 

:p

[drew sailbum]

Quotes from reports in Cayman Net News and Caymanian Compass. See articles here: http://www.caymannetnews.com/news-12060--1-1---.html and here http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1035859

 

It's December 8 and they aren't quite open yet. There is a major development reported in today's local newspapers.

 

Dolphins arrived at the Dolphin Discovery site last Thursday December 4, 2008. Time will tell how soon they open.

 

"Dr Wakelin, a Department of Agriculture veterinary officer, ... is the Government’s chief advisor on dolphin matters and is on the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, told reporters that Dolphin Discovery does not yet have an operating licence, which would be required before the facility can open to the public."

 

Newspapers are reporting that Dolphin Discovery still does not have the necessary wastewater discharge permit.

 

Mr Billy Adam, a prominent local critic, alleged that there are problems with some of the required paperwork for importation of the dolphins. "The same documentation that this Government has accepted was the same CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) documentation that the Dominican Republic has turned down and Jamaica has turned down because it does not meet CITES requirements.”

 

Indeed, the initial application for Dolphin Discovery was for importation of 8 bottlenose dolphins. Only six were brought last Thursday.

 

“When we were presented with the CITES permits for Dolphin Discovery the permits were for eight dolphins. We had questions about trade records for two of them and we needed to get those clarified before we were prepared to sign off totally on the CITES permits,” said DoE Director Gina Ebanks–Petrie. “So Dolphin Discovery took the decision that they would import those animals with which we had no CITES issues.”

 

More paperwork to come folks. I don't think they will be having their Grand Opening today.

 

I cannot emphasize enough that this is a long, drawn out process. The only way to be reasonably certain that a dolphin program will be open in time for your planned trip is to wait for confirmation that the gates are open, they are already running, and guests are reporting back on their experiences. Until then, any proposed opening date is speculation.

[MamaParrotHead]

Does anyone know if the prices are comparable to Cozumel? We're stopping both places and I'd rather eat the day up with doing this in GC and head somewhere else in Coz.

 

ETA: Nevermind..they don't offer just the encounter, and I'm not interested in any of the swims.

[stevenikkij]

Does anyone know if the prices are comparable to Cozumel? We're stopping both places and I'd rather eat the day up with doing this in GC and head somewhere else in Coz.

 

ETA: Nevermind..they don't offer just the encounter, and I'm not interested in any of the swims.

The prices were almost doubled in Grand Cayman compared to Cozumel. We wanted to do the new Dolphin Discovery in GC too, but not with those $$$$$$$.;)