Two dolphins, named Taesan and Boksoon, will leave Seoul Grand Park on May 14 to Gadoori Training Center in Jeju, where they will be trained for one to two months. (image: Hot Pink Dolphins)
SEOUL, May 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Two Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins, which were captured illegally in the waters near Jeju in 2009 and made to perform at dolphin shows, will be transported to Jeju from Seoul to receive captivity-to-wild training before they get released into the sea.
According to the Korean Animal Welfare Association, two dolphins, named Taesan and Boksoon, will leave Seoul Grand Park on May 14 to Gadoori Training Center in Jeju, where they will be trained for one to two months.
In 2007, maritime police found that an entertainment company in Jeju was capturing Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, which triggered animal rights organizations in Korea to campaign for freeing the dolphins from the company. The Supreme Court of Korea ruled against the company in 2013 and ordered it to free four dolphins.
Two dolphins were released into the sea in July 2013 after receiving three weeks of training. However, Taesan and Boksoon were held from being released temporarily since they were having health issues and showing signs of anxiety. Since then, they have been staying at Seoul Grand Park’s Ocean Center.
Several Korean animal rights organizations campaigned to donate money for the remaining two dolphins to be treated and trained for wildlife, and their efforts became fruitful in March this year, when the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries decided to go ahead with the training and releasing them.
Near-extinct Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are known to be about 110 in numbers in Jeju waters.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
