We all live in a yellow submarine
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1994:
The Mirage, Paul Watson’s yellow
submarine, drew more note from some U.S.
media than whaling issues––even though it
apparently wasn’t used. Watson caught flak
from both Ric O’Barry of the Dolphin
Project and Mark Berman of Earth Island
Institute for accepting much of the $200,000
price of the submarine as a donation from
Steve Wynn, owner of the Mirage hotel and
aquarium in Las Vegas. Wynn has helped to
fund Sea Shepherd projects since 1988.
The Mirage gets high marks from
most marine mammologists, keeping only
captive-born dolphins and others considered
unsuitable for release by reasons of age and
health. According to Watson, all were
bought from substandard facilities, where
their conditions were miserable and prospects
for survival dubious. However, O’Barry, a
former Mirage consultant, claims Wynn
reneged on a promise to use the site to pre-
pare dolphins for release. Wynn exascerbat-
ed tensions with anti-captivity activists earli-
er this year by leading aquarium owners in a
successful push for amendments to the
Marine Mammal Protection Act that exempt
them from the supervision of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Marine mammal entertainment facilities will
now be inspected only by the USDA, which
inspects other animal entertainment facilities
under the Animal Welfare Act.
