Marine park re-opens

Mediterraneo Marine Park of Bahar ic-Caghaq will be open again to the public as from today with a new range of programmes that have an entertainment and educational content.

The park has undergone structural alterations over the past two months, including the introduction of state of the art filtration systems for sea water and the upgrading of all of its facilities.

Park spokesperson Natasha Farrugia said the alterations were needed mainly in order to receive six new dolphins to add to the other animals at the park.

"The dolphins are all in great condition and have immediately felt at home in their new environment," Ms Farrugia said.

The six new bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) - three males and three females - are Estrela, Mar, Onda, Samba, Sol and Lucas.

They arrived on Sunday from the Acuario Nacional de Cuba.

They travelled on a DC8 aircraft (picture) specially equipped for the carriage and were accompanied by a team made up of a curator, three animal keepers and a veterinary doctor, specialised in marine mammals.

Ms Farrugia said meticulous care had gone into the preparation of the voyage, including items such as two tons of water and 300 kilos of ice.

The animals were checked on a regular basis and the vet reported that the journey was successful and the animals had been resting for most of the time.

Following the dolphins' importation, the Biological Conservation Research Foundation said Malta should not import or export any wild marine mammals or any other vulnerable and protected species.

It said dolphins should not be caught from the wild to be kept in captivity unless they required urgent assistance.