Stop The Mirage Dolphin Death Pool!

[zengrifter]

From Change.org -

The Born Free foundation and the WSPA have condemned this place for its claims of being a research and educational facility, while in reality it is motivated by profits.

The dolphins are trapped in a concrete pool next to a highway. They breathe in fumes and smog day after day. There's no protection from the desert heat or the winter snow. Seventy-five percent die prematurely.

This is the horrifying existence of the dolphins at The Mirage Hotel and Casino's “Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.” Imprisoned in pools that are too shallow and too small, they're forced to do mindless tricks for high-paying guests day after day – until they develop respiratory infections and diseases that claim their lives.

This isn't the first time The Mirage has faced criticism for its reprehensible treatment of animals. In the past, The Mirage housed tigers in the building -- but due to large opposition from the public, the casino is now tiger-free.

Animal protection organizations have appealed to the National Marine Fisheries Service to deny The Mirage's requests for more dolphins, but as more and more dolphins die -- the death count is now at 14 -- the Mirage keeps "restocking" its exhibit.

MORE- (Dead link: http://hope4dolphins.com/?p=974)

 

[zengrifter]

Seventy-five percent die prematurely.

That says it all. zg

 

[zengrifter]

Doesn't anyone care? z:laugh::cry:g

 

[creeping panther]

Z-Man

Doesn't anyone care? z:laugh::cry:g

I care a great deal,,all creatures deserve respect and should not be caged for the amusment of man. I would begin by outlawing all animal circus acts and inhumane zoo habitats.

CP

 

[aslan]

Doesn't anyone care? z:laugh::cry:g

I love animals, but I thought I'd mention these other concerns in terms of making sure our priorities are right.

3,760 lives have been lost in Haiti due to the cholera epidemic there. A year ago a magnitude 7 earthquake there killed 230,000 and left more than 1,000,000 homeless. The rebuilding of Haiti is hardly begun for this poor neighbor of ours.

In Malawi, half of the country’s one million orphans have lost a parent to the AIDS epidemic.

Violence, threats and persecution have forced millions of Iraqis to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

In 2010 in Pakistan, close to 2,000 deaths were reported and 20 million were affected by catastrophic floods.

A severe famine has gripped Niger with half of the country facing severe hunger and half a million children under 5 acutely malnourished.

In 2009, 43.6 million Americans lived below the poverty line, up from 39.8 in 2008. 17 million of these are in extreme poverty, meaning that they live below half the poverty line (the poverty line for 1 person in 2009 was $10,830 according to the US Census Bureau). 18% of all American children are living below the poverty line.

Over 22,000 children die each day around the world.

The international poverty line is $1.25 a day and approximately 1.4 billion people live at it or below it.

About 20% of the world consumes about 80% of its goods, and the remaining 80% of the world get the rest.

 

[Maestro]

I love animals, but I thought I'd mention these other concerns in terms of making sure our priorities are right.

3,760 lives have been lost in Haiti due to the cholera epidemic there. A year ago a magnitude 7 earthquake there killed 230,000 and left more than 1,000,000 homeless. The rebuilding of Haiti is hardly begun for this poor neighbor of ours.

In Malawi, half of the country’s one million orphans have lost a parent to the AIDS epidemic.

Violence, threats and persecution have forced millions of Iraqis to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

In 2010 in Pakistan, close to 2,000 deaths were reported and 20 million were affected by catastrophic floods.

A severe famine has gripped Niger with half of the country facing severe hunger and half a million children under 5 acutely malnourished.

In 2009, 43.6 million Americans lived below the poverty line, up from 39.8 in 2008. 17 million of these are in extreme poverty, meaning that they live below half the poverty line (the poverty line for 1 person in 2009 was $10,830 according to the US Census Bureau). 18% of all American children are living below the poverty line.

Over 22,000 children die each day around the world.

The international poverty line is $1.25 a day and approximately 1.4 billion people live at it or below it.

About 20% of the world consumes about 80% of its goods, and the remaining 80% of the world get the rest.

Well said.

 

[collegebj]

I love animals, but I thought I'd mention these other concerns in terms of making sure our priorities are right.

3,760 lives have been lost in Haiti due to the cholera epidemic there. A year ago a magnitude 7 earthquake there killed 230,000 and left more than 1,000,000 homeless. The rebuilding of Haiti is hardly begun for this poor neighbor of ours.

Haiti doesnt deserve another cent. The total amount of aid officially donated in total around the world (not including citizens' donations, just the official government ones) is $733,707,082. IF you cant rebuild with almost a billion dollars you have some problems, namely corruption.

 

[aslan]

Haiti doesnt deserve another cent. The total amount of aid officially donated in total around the world (not including citizens' donations, just the official government ones) is $733,707,082. IF you cant rebuild with almost a billion dollars you have some problems, namely corruption.

Haiti, if you mean the corrupt leadership, doesn't deserve separate graves-- when they die, just plow them into a mass grave, mark it, "Good Riddance", and forget about them.

But there are organizations that ARE getting real and desperately needed help to the people. Catholic Relief Services is one of them. I am sure that anyone interested can find organizations to their liking that ARE making a difference in that poverty/earthquake ravaged country. The PEOPLE need help.

 

[shadroch]

Haiti doesnt deserve another cent. The total amount of aid officially donated in total around the world (not including citizens' donations, just the official government ones) is $733,707,082. IF you cant rebuild with almost a billion dollars you have some problems, namely corruption.

Boyd sank a billion dollars into its latest casino and couldn't finish it, but you think Haiti should be able to rebuild an entire country with less than that.

 

[zengrifter]

Boyd sank a billion dollars into its latest casino and couldn't finish it, but you think Haiti should be able to rebuild an entire country with less than that.

Haiti hasn't even recieved 20% of what was pledged for emergency relief. zg

 

[aslan]

Haiti hasn't even recieved 20% of what was pledged for emergency relief. zg

You are speaking of a particular venue, not all organizations that are serving the needs of people in Haiti. I guarantee you that Catholic Relief Services is using money donated to them to help the people of Haiti.

Excerpted from CRS website:

Three challenges

The complexity of solving Haiti’s rebuilding crisis revolves around three major challenges, Hackett said.
“The biggest challenge is getting the government to allocate land in a reasonable location so that property can be reconstructed,” he said. “The second biggest challenge is basically removing the rubble.
“And the third biggest challenge is peace, stability and, hopefully, finding someone with a leadership vision that is going to benefit the country.”
That leadership piece is especially fraught with uncertainty, given the disputed results of the Nov. 28 presidential election in which a governing-party candidate, Jude Celestin, appeared to have made the runoff election despite low popular support.
Supporters of the popular third-place candidate, carnival singer Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, cried foul because he was eliminated from the runoff. Former first lady Mirlande Manigat finished first. A report on the election by the Organization of American States alleges widespread fraud.
“You had a government prior to the earthquake that was reasonably dysfunctional, inept and somewhat corrupt — not pervasively, but there were elements of it,” Hackett said. “Then you had the earthquake and, sadly, a number of government workers died. That had to do with the fact that the earthquake hit just before 5 p.m. and they were still in their offices.”
Governmental red tape has affected the CRS rebuilding plan. Six days after the earthquake, the agency received a contract from the U.S. government to rebuild homes. It has completed about 1,300 small, sturdy homes thus far, each capable of housing five to six people. CRS wants to complete 8,000 homes by the end of 2011.
The construction projects have been especially challenging because of land title issues and the difficulty of removing massive amounts of rubble.

Working with families

CRS also made the tactical decision to work with families in rebuilding homes rather than dictate where and how they should be rebuilt because, Hackett said, that provides a true partnership.
As for the rubble, CRS is providing hand-cranked crushing machines that can pulverize concrete and turn it into reusable foundation material. CRS will buy back the material from the families, and the families can sell rebar retrieved from the concrete on the secondary market.
“People can use that material as the foundation on their new homes,” Hackett said.
“We provide the basic frame of the home. It’s not big, but it’s a wooden frame. We provide the design and the roofing, but they have to do the work. Then they can add anything they want to the home. So, they have to participate in the rubble removal,” he said.
Hackett said it is important for CRS to work with families rather than, for example, bringing in bulldozers and building tract housing.
“This is intentional on our part,” Hackett said. “We made the decision that we’re not going to make all the decisions for the Haitians. We could have brought in big, giant concrete removal equipment and bulldozed and then rebuilt. But we said, ‘No, they’ve got to be involved in their own future.’ If they’re not, they’re going to sit and wait for somebody to do it.”
​

 

[zengrifter]

You are speaking of a particular venue, not all organizations that are serving the needs of people in Haiti. I guarantee you that Catholic Relief Services is using money donated to them to help the people of Haiti.

I meant the big money pledged by various countries including you-know-who.
But what about the dolphins jailed at Mirage inhumanely?? zg

 

[aslan]

I meant the big money pledged by various countries including you-know-who.
But what about the dolphins jailed at Mirage inhumanely?? zg

Sorry I hijacked your thread.

The people of S Cal need to pester their state and local government officials until they take notice. The casino seems to be treating Dolphins as if they were a disposable resource, not a living, intelligent species that deserves our respect, protection and care. You should post where people who are interested can write, donate money, or otherwise inquire how they can become part of the solution to this ugly problem. How can something like this happen in California of all places in the first place?

 

[zengrifter]

How can something like this happen in California of all places in the first place?

The Mirage is in Las Vegas, Brother Aslan. zg

 

[aslan]

The Mirage is in Las Vegas, Brother Aslan. zg

LOL Your location, So Cal, was picked up in speed reading your OP. I thought it was a similarly named casino in So Cal.

Well, the same answer applies, except Nevada, Clark County, and Las Vegas governments come into play. Let's start a campaign. Letters, telephone calls, etc.

 

[zengrifter]

Let's start a campaign. Letters, telephone calls, etc.

My major work on this matter is done after I post a few more places, like Rick O'Barry's blog,
and a tweet out to 100,000 or so twitter followers, but carry on soldier. More tactical to follow. zg

 

[zengrifter]

My major work on this matter is done after I post a few more places, like Rick O'Barry's blog,
and a tweet out to 100,000 or so twitter followers, but carry on soldier. More tactical to follow. zg

Here, I got it - setup a website similar to Miami Sea Prison, and call it Mirage Dolphin Death Pool.
Look closely and click around the Sea Prison website, you'll like the activist sarcasm.

We can get Sting to lend his name and then all the Vegas stars can get behind it.
Generate some press then. Sting joins Rick O'Barry

 

[sagefr0g]

Cp

I care a great deal,,all creatures deserve respect and should not be caged for the amusment of man. I would begin by outlawing all animal circus acts and inhumane zoo habitats.

CP

well said, imho.

 

[aslan]

I care a great deal,,all creatures deserve respect and should not be caged for the amusment of man. I would begin by outlawing all animal circus acts and inhumane zoo habitats.

CP

Better yet, for those who cage animals for the amusement of men and who put them in acts in which the animals are robbed of their natural dignity, let's put them in cages and circus acts for the amusement of both animals and men. As for inhumane zoo habitats, Gitmo would be far too lenient for such men. A pig sty, perhaps, would be appropriate, not to disparage pigs who are fastidious about cleanliness and only lay in mud for protection against the sun due to their absence of sweat glands.