Curaçao dolphin kills herself in Saudi Arabia aquarium

The 7-year-old dolphin Mosa died only a few months after she was transported from Curaçao Sea Aquarium to Fakieh Aquarium in Saudi Arabia.

In June, five young bottlenose dolphins from Curaçao were ripped from their families and sold to Saudi Arabia. Animal welfare organization Animal Rights had gone to court to stop the transfer. A judge ruled in their favor and prohibited the transport.

However, Curaçao Sea Aquarium still sent the dolphins -Serena, Machu, Mosa, Sami and Luna- to Fakieh Aquarium, where they were kept in smaller tanks and forced to do tricks.

عروض الدلافين قريباً في #فقيه_اكواريوم#ترفيه_فقيه pic.twitter.com/fClAAyfpco

— فقيه أكواريوم (@fakiehaquarium) August 22, 2022

Only three months later, Mosa slammed her body at high speed into a wall, killing herself. “We are shocked, but not surprised. Keeping such large and intelligent animals in small basins is a horrific form of abuse,” Anna Krijger, campaign coordinator at Animal Rights, said.

“Dolphins are known to self-mutilate or take their own life under these conditions, either consciously or unconsciously,” she added.

The Animal Reader talked to Susan Hartland from Animal Rights when the dolphins were just sent to Saudi Arabia