The Dolphin Project Dolphin Sanctuary in Bali, Indonesia

In July 2019, Dolphin Project and our local partners Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) were notified that the government of Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry intended to confiscate a variety of wild animals, including four dolphins, held at the Melka Hotel, on the island of Bali.
We moved quickly to assess the four dolphins, discovering that two were in stable condition and able to leave the resort. The other two were held at the hotel facilities to treat ongoing health issues.
In August 2019, the first two dolphins, Rocky and Rambo, were successfully moved into a temporary sea pen. In October 2019, the remaining two dolphins, Johnny and Dewa, were moved to the world’s first permanent dolphin sanctuary. The latter two dolphins do not appear to be candidates for release, however they will be able to remain in this sanctuary, living out the rest of their lives in peace and dignity. In December 2019 Rocky and Rambo will join Johnny and Dewa at the dolphin sanctuary, where they will continue to undergo evaluation for retirement or eventual release into their home range.

Over ten years ago,
August 2008 to be precise,

I received a phone call
about a travelling dolphin show.

It turned out

that this travelling dolphin show
was capturing dolphins

from an area called Karimunjawa,
in central Java.

This was the world’s
last travelling dolphin show,

and they are still operating until today,

and we are still campaigning
to close them down.

The owner of this travelling dolphin show

had supplied dolphins
to other places around Indonesia.

We went to the Melka Hotel a few times,

we documented what was happening there,

we would stay –

I would sleep in the hotel room
right next to the pool,

filming them early morning,

walking in the pool area
because it was still quiet.

We would witness Dewa

jumping up against the side of the pool
and really hurting himself.

It was really shocking
to see this behavior.

I have never seen
anything like it before,

I didn’t even know it existed.

The people that would go there

pay a lot of money
to swim with these dolphins.

The children that come there,

they fly them in from Russia
and from other countries.

The parents have hope that these dolphins
are going to heal their children,

but it’s all a scam,
it’s a scam to raise money.

It’s been a long struggle.

We had endless meetings
with the government.

And now, since we have the chance
to really make a difference for them,

we got them out of the pool,

we are finally giving them
their birthright for freedom,

we need support more than ever.

We are working with the government,
for the greater cause,

which is we are going
in the right direction.

Often people are easily complaining,

easily clapping, like this is great work -

but we really, really need support.

We’re looking for a place
that has clean, clear water,

wild dolphins in the area,

and we really don’t know exactly,

but I’ll know when we see it.

We’ve done this before,
searching for a sanctuary,

in Guatemala, Nicaragua,
Colombia, Brazil, Haiti,

and we usually build
a sea-pen temporarily,

because those dolphins
are going to be set free.

This one will be permanent.

And it will be the first one in the world.

There are a lot of dolphin sanctuaries
on the drawing board

but, as I speak,

there isn’t one anywhere in the world.

Hopefully, this will be the first.

These boats would have to go.

Physically it would work,
along the sea wall.

I'm afraid there are
too many boats here, Capt.

If the boats weren’t here it would work.

The fact that there are
people here, and activity,

doesn’t matter for the dolphins
that are not going to be released.

Actually they would have something
to stimulate their mind,

because captivity is boring,

and so you don’t want
to get them in isolation.

The other two, who are going
to be released into the wild,

they need to be away from boats,
and people, and activity.

But not the ones that are going
to be here forever.

Maybe if we go around
there might be quiet beaches.

This is where it is, right here!

We don’t have a mooring,
but there is one right there maybe, right?

Is that a mooring?

This is the area, right here! This is it!

I can see a sea-pen right here.

I think this is the spot, Femke.

It’s the best one we’ve seen so far,
this location, right here.

So, this looks like
we have found the location.

This seems to be the ideal spot.

There is plenty of reef
that can be included inside the sea-pen,

and the current is not very strong

when you get closer
to that inner reef over there.

So, starting the sea-pen there,
and going out to deeper water,

there is about a four
or five knot current here,

and the deep end of the pen
can be in a current like that.

It would actually be helpful.

So, this could be it!

We just need to get
a permit now, and get going.

Let’s do this!

This woman right here
can make it all happen!

He got me into this, it’s all your fault!

So, all of these trainers here,
lost their jobs,

when we raided the Melka Hotel
and put them out of business.

So we rehired them,

we hired them all
and increased their salary.

Now they are wearing
Dolphin Project T-shirts,

and they feel great about themselves.

They are a very cohesive team,
they are like family.

And so, the sea-pen,

the sanctuary is in kind
of a remote location,

they can’t stay there 24/7

so they’ll rotate,
the five dolphin trainers.

Dolphins have three to five times
the body waste that a human has,

they urinate and defecate
three to five times,

so there’s an enormous amount
of shit in here.

It is, literally, a toilet bowl.

People need to know
what happened to these dolphins,

who they are, how they got here,

what they were doing here,
where they’re going.

That’s real education.

If people get that education,
if they get that information,

they'll probably think twice

before they buy a ticket
for a dolphin show.

Femka and my son Lincoln,

they came here 10 years ago
and found these dolphins.

They have been fighting for 10 years
to get them out of here.

It’s been like banging your head
against the wall for 10 years,

but in the very last couple of months
everything came together.

All the stars and planets
lined up perfectly,

and we have the cooperation
of the police, the fire department,

the fisheries department,
everybody is cooperating.

This is all about keeping
their temperature down to 98.6,

which is about what we are, also, human.

They tend to overheat
when they are out of the water.

Breathtaking!

(Sighs) Takes my breath away!

You have to have the patience
of a saint to do this work.

We’re going to see his behavior
change radically,

because his habitat changed radically.

Habitat dictates behavior,
that’s a given in science.

His habitat at the swimming pool
was very shallow,

heavily chlorinated,

chemically treated
with copper sulfate, citric acid.

And now he is in natural seawater,
there is a lot of fish in here.

He is going to experience
the rhythms of the sea, the tide,

the current, all of those things,
and be able to see the stars,

be able to live out his life
with quality and dignity,

and be identified properly.

At these captive facilities,
they identify the dolphins as ambassadors.

That’s not true.

They’re not ambassadors,
they didn't volunteer for that job.

They are victims.

And that will be explained to people
when they come here.

And when people leave here,
hopefully they’ll think twice

before they buy a ticket
for a dolphin show.

So, yeah, this is a huge thing here,
it’s a big day.

I was up all night thinking about this.

Oh, man! It’s amazing!
It only took 10 years!

Wow! There they are!

Oh, man! We pulled that off!

We did all this with no money.

Just dreaming, this is all the result
of a dream, actually.

Oh, man!

[Please Support Us!]

The problem is, I never asked
for money before,

I’m not good at that,
I’ve never done that before,

this is the first time

I’ve actually asked
for donations for a cause,

and it’s important,

because this is the only
dolphin sanctuary in the world,

and we need to make sure it’s successful.

It’s imperative to have an alternative
to these captive dolphins swim programs

around the world.

The best way to bring about change
for the common good is by example.

And that’s what the Dolphin Project
Sanctuary is about, in Bali.

It’s actually in two parts.

We have the sanctuary
in the West Bali National Park.

That’s where they go to be identified,

to find out if they are
candidates to be released,

or to stay in the sanctuary.

We have identified two of the dolphins,
the two you see here, Rocky and Rambo,

they are clearly candidates for release.

And we have to rebuild
the Camp Lumba Lumba,

which is in their home range.

This is going to be expensive,

so we're asking the public
to please support this effort.

They can be free with your help.