6 Dec 2011

Marine activist calls for a boycott on travel to Solomon Islands

4:16 pm on 6 December 2011

A conservationist is calling on New Zealanders to boycott travel to Solomon Islands in protest at the live export of dolphins to China.

Twenty-five bottlenose dolphins were flown from Honiara to Guangdong Province last week.

Dr Ingrid Visser, from The Orca Research Trust, says the exports are disgusting and money driven.

She says it is tragic that live dolphin export is legal.

"Solomon Islands is their own independent country but New Zealanders can make a difference by deciding not to go and visit places like that who do support such barbaric things to do with whales and dolphins. We're a country that tries to rescue whales and dolphins and so we certainly shouldn't be supporting this sort of thing."

Dr Visser says when the dolphins are transported to places like Sea World they're typically put on mattresses in a plane without water.

She says the dolphins that die during the transit are the lucky ones, because captive dolphins have a miserable time.