Four male defendants are to stand trial on June 2, in relation to the illegal capture of wild dolphins from Bahraini waters for a captive facility.
Case documents revealed that the Public Prosecution had received a notification from the Coast Guard Command, indicating dolphins had been caught. After monitoring the handover of one dolphin to the facility staff, a further onsite visit revealed three dolphins in total. When the Supreme Council for the Environment visited the Bahrain facility six months ago they found no dolphins, and have also confirmed that no permits to import dolphins have been issued to the facility over the past six months. The Public Prosecution also ordered the seizure of the boat used to capture the dolphins along with the vehicles to transport the animals inland.
At this current time, we are not aware whether the dolphins in question were released back into the wild, and are now enquiring further with the authorities.
