The international renowned activist and protagonist of The Cove is the guest of honor of the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF).

(Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) – “It sounds really harsh, but I can say that dolphins, animals that live in family by nature and travel hundred of miles per day, commit suicide when they are caught in captivity. We need to stop that cruelty and society can make it happen by stop attending shows that exhibit those animals”.

The activist Ric O’Barry arrived last night to the country to participate in the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) and this morning attended several radio interviews for the Cuentas Claras and Factor Verde, transmitted by La Nota Diferente frequency of Teleantillas.

GFDD-FUNGLODE’s guest of honor for this edition of the Film Festival talked to the Dominican press about his passion: creating awareness about the gravity of captivity of marine mammals. Among other things, O’Barry said that when a dolphin is taken out of his natural environment the two most important things for him are taken away, his family and freedom in the ocean. Dolphins put into small water tanks consider their companions as strangers and that can take them to live in conditions that lead them to death, including suicide.

The Cove protagonist exhorted Dominican society to become conscious about excessive fishery, contamination and dolphin captivity. “It is important to educate the population on this topics both on this country and globally”, said the marine mammals expert. In addition, O’Barry gave thanks to Dr. Leonel Fernández, former President of Dominican Republic, for prohibiting during his administration, the import of 12 dolphins that were captive in the Taiji dolphin hunter some years ago.

Richard O’Barry has worked on both sides of the captive dolphin issue. He worked for 10 years in the 1960’s within the dolphin captivity industry, when he was employed by the Miami Seaquarium to trained dolphins, including the ones that played the role of Flipper in the popular American TV-series of the same name. When one of the dolphins died in his arms O’Barry realized that capturing and training them was simply wrong. Over the past 40 years he has been recognized by many national and international entities. He has published two books: Behind the Dolphin Smile (1989) and To Free a Dolphin (2000). In 2006, O’Barry became Marine Mammal Specialist for Earth Island Institute, where he is also the Director of Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Project and Save Japan Dolphins Campaign.

Film Synopsis: The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. It is here, under cover of night that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt.