Inubozaki Marine Park in Japan has announced its lone female dolphin known as Honey, has died.
There have long been concerns for the conditions of squalor and dirt that Honey was being held in, for over two years Marine Connection has been continuing its campaign to have Honey moved to another facility, consistently urging the Governor of Chiba Prefecture to intervene, however despite their park inspections, were advised that Honey was ‘well and healthy’ and authorities refused to provide further information on her welfare.
In September 2018, Marine Connection sent a letter to the owners and various authorities regarding her situation, which was supported by 40 international organisations, however, our pleas were continually ignored.
Following the closure of the park in early 2018, the dolphin (and other animals including penguins), remained there in totally unacceptable conditions. Honey was taken from the wild in 2005 by the drive hunters in Taiji, Japan and spent her years with other performing dolphins, all of which eventually died.
The sad reality is that Honey, along with over 40 penguins and hundreds of fish and reptiles, were abandoned – not just by her owners but also the authorities.
