With a beautiful ceremony at the sea pen, the camp and his grave we said goodbye to our friend Dewa. Dewa was a victim of captivity. Captivity kills.
Captured in the Java Sea, Dewa was an older dolphin who was severely affected by the trauma he suffered during his confinement at the Melka Excelsior Hotel in North Bali. There, he spent years confined in the hotel’s shallow, heavily chlorinated swimming pool, exploited in a commercial dolphin-assisted therapy program for people with paralysis and other disabilities. Dewa was transferred from the swimming pool to the Dolphin Sanctuary in Banyuwedang Bay in West Bali on October 8, 2019. Since we introduced Dewa to natural sea water, his condition improved but he was still plagued with several health problems including chronic pneumonia. Sadly, Dewa succumbed to his longstanding illness and took his last breath on March 11, 2020.
Rocky, Rambo and Jonni are now in one pen together, enjoying each others company and are very playful and active!