On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 04:17:05 -0400, Brad <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
> Viv wrote:
>
>> Media barred as dolphins to depart
>> By Jim Baynes in Honiara
>> July 21, 2003
>>
>>SOLOMON Islands police today locked down Honiara airport and ordered
media not to film as a cargo jet arrived to fly up to 200 dolphins to
Mexico.
>>
>>Australia has been trying to block an international syndicate from
selling the dolphins caught in Solomons waters to aquatic parks in Mexico.
>
>I would like to take my son to see dolphins at one of these aquatic parks,
>there are many that allow you to swim with them. Chad's favorite animals
are dolphins, and he has said many times that he would love to swim with
>dolphins. But I know the down side of keeping dolphins (and other animals)
>in captivity. It's just wrong.

I noticed Taiwan was mentioned in that newsclipping .. and, after seeing
how well *NOT* they look after their animals in the privately owned parks,
and shocking conditions in the pet shops ...  I would not be surprised to
hear that any dolphins they can get their hands on would end up on the meal
table :-(

On a stop-over in Taiwan where a couple of my doc friends were attending a
cleft, lip & palate conference I came across something I hope to never,
ever see again.  I became violently ill after accidentally cutting through
what I thought was a shopping mall.  It was actually Snake Alley .. where
they slit the snakes live and you drank the blood, they threaded live baby
turtles on to skewers and barbeque them live, etc, etc.

>It seems this syndicate has powerful connections in the government,
>because they were able to get police help.  This made me wonder about
>the type of government, so I looked, and the CIA describes Solomon
>Islands government as "parliamentary democracy tending toward anarchy".
>www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bp.html  ...I hate to say it,
>but this looks like another failed attempt at installing a democracy. ;-/

$ talks Brad. They are so broke they will take anything for a quick buck.
It is a shame because the Solomons is a really nice place for diving.
I want to go back there to dive around the Russell Islands again. Was on
the liveaboard Bilikiki on my first trip that way and absolutely loved the
place.  It is a bit like PNG - I try to avoid spending any amount of time
in Port Moresby because of all the trouble there.  In the Solomons that
would apply to Honiara.
Viv