Save the Dolphins

[Lindaloo]

Marine's Life President has been fired and its animals are for sale. Co-owner and President, Dr. Moby Solangi was removed from his job by majority owner, Don Jacobs.

As WLOX News reported on Tuesday, Jacobs has reached an agreement to sell Marine Life's animals to "Atlantis Paradise Island" in the Bahamas. That's one point of contention between the two sides. Now Solangi has filed an injunction to block the sale and keep the animals here.

The animals of Marine Life in Gulfport have entertained thousands for decades and been a vital part of marine research in the nation. Hurricane Katrina swept some of the dolphins into the Mississippi Sound. Miraculously, they survived and stayed together until their trainers could rescue them, making headlines around the world.

"After all that, then you hear this, that's pretty sad," co-owner and former President Moby Solangi said.

Solangi is talking about the pending sale of all of Marine Life's animals to "Atlantis" in the Bahamas. He's taken legal action to block the sale.

"He wants to sell. I want to keep the animals here and rebuild the facility, that's the fundamental difference. And I don't believe in selling the animals to the highest bidder."

Sources told WLOX News, majority owner Don Jacobs who wants to sell the animals, stands to make millions. We asked the newly appointed President, David Lion for a price.

"I'm not going to disclose that, the most important thing here is that the animals found a good home," Lion said.

Some of the 17 Marine Life dolphins are being housed in pools at the Navy Seabee Base in Gulfport. The rest are living at aquariums across the nation. Experts agree that it's important to get the very social animals back together.

"We have an immediate need, the health of these dolphins , the 8 at the Seabee base are in pools that are designed to keep dolphins for 3 weeks," Lion said.

Lion also says Atlantis is a state of the art facility with 45 marine mammal specialists and 6 million gallons of fresh sea water where all the dolphins can live together again. He goes on to say that they would love to keep their animals here and re-open Marine Life in Gulfport, but don't know how long that would take.

"We would absolutely want to reopen marine life, but as you can tell, it's going to be a long time before something's rebuilt," Lion said.

But since 1993, Marie Life owners tried various times to entice casinos to buy the property. Donald Trump toyed with the idea of leasing the area for a development.

Moby Solangi believes there's a future for Marine Life, and says he "will" re-open an aquarium and a non-profit Marine Mammal Studies facility in Gulfport. But he wants to keep the marine mammals at home.

"These animals have been a part of our family, and part of Gulfport, and part of Mississippi and to be just sold like a commodity to the highest bidder is very disingenuous."



http://www.wlox.com



This upsets me!!

[Ixolib]

Upsets me too, Linda. Saw the report on WLOX last night and could not believe my ears. Not only the issue of what's best for the dolphins, but also the dismissal (removal!!!) of Dr. Solangi who has worked so hard for so long, and continued to do so throughout the immediate aftermath of Katrina, to ensure the best for that facility and it's inhabitants. That man, I believe, has given his entire heart and soul to those animals.

Big business (i.e., the "majority owner") sucks!!

And who in the heck is David Lion???

[terstorm1012]

that's a dang shame

are these the same dolphins that were in the hotel pool?

[rtd2]

that's a dang shame

are these the same dolphins that were in the hotel pool?

Yep..Some of them are Still together and are now in a Larger pool at the CB Base in Gulfport. The rest are in Temp. locations across the USA

[Lindaloo]

Upsets me too, Linda. Saw the report on WLOX last night and could not believe my ears. Not only the issue of what's best for the dolphins, but also the dismissal (removal!!!) of Dr. Solangi who has worked so hard for so long, and continued to do so throughout the immediate aftermath of Katrina, to ensure the best for that facility and it's inhabitants. That man, I believe, has given his entire heart and soul to those animals.

Big business (i.e., the "majority owner") sucks!!

And who in the heck is David Lion???

I know it. He has been an asset and someone should step in. I am trying to find out if they are going to do something about this publically because I want to be a part of it.

Lion is the new weasel Jacobs is slyly saying is his "new president"

[Margie]

Well after reading this article I have a different take on this.

If the dolphins are the priority, then they need to go to this nice facility where they can be together as soon as possible. The dolphins don't care who has been fired or who will make money, they will only care that they'll be together again. That is more important than the dolphins being part of the gulf coast; I'm sure the dolphins don't have a vested interest in making their home in any particular location.

[Lindaloo]

Well after reading this article I have a different take on this.

If the dolphins are the priority, then they need to go to this nice facility where they can be together as soon as possible. The dolphins don't care who has been fired or who will make money, they will only care that they'll be together again. That is more important than the dolphins being part of the gulf coast; I'm sure the dolphins don't have a vested interest in making their home in any particular location.

WOW!! Those dolphins are part of the Gulf Coast. And it is not about who is getting fired or anything else, it is about selling them to the highest bidder. At least the man CARES about the mammals, unlike some people who have moved away and forgotten their roots.

[simplykristi]

Oh man! I am shocked to hear this! Marine Life is not going to be re-built? I donated some money to the organization. It wasn't much but I wanted to see the facility re-built and all the animals reunited. This is an outrage.

Kristi

[Margie]

"Last-ditch attempt to keep dolphins in U.S. fails"

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13558146.htm

Thank goodness the best interests of the dolphins were served...now the pod will be together again, and some of them will be freed from living in a space so small that it is essentially a closet...for a dolphin.

Also in the Sun Herald...some time back...one of the trainers who had spent many years with the dolphins wrote a moving letter to the editor talking about how the dolphins would be able to have a much better life at their spacious new home.