Three bottlenose dolphins rescued from a resort in Indonesia in 2019 are now free to swim – after they were rehabilitated in a dedicated animal sanctuary.
The Dolphin trio – Johnny, Rocky and Rambo – was rescued by Umah Lumba's Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Centre.
According to the Associated Press, this is a dolphin care facility established by the Indonesian government in Banyuwedang Bay in western Bali.
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Indonesia's Bali Forestry Authority and forestry department are two nature conservation agencies that launch rehabilitation centers, under Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit that collaborates with the program.
Umah lumba is the Balinese word for dolphin, according to the dolphin project.
In this photo, released by Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project on Saturday, September 3, 2022, the rescued bottlenose dolphin Rocky – equipped with a GPS tag – swam through the Uah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Centre in Banyuwedang Bay, West Bali, Indonesia.
The Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Center receives dolphins who have retired from the show.
Johnny, Rocky and Rambo were released in Banyuwedang Bay on Saturday, Sept. 3, after three years of care at the Rehabilitation Centre – which receives financial support and supervision from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network workforce as well as the Dolphin Project.
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"It's an incredible emotional experience to see them leave," Lincoln O'Barry, animal rights activist and athletic coordinator for Project Dolphin, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Animal rights activists and filmmakers Lincoln Obari (left) and Rick Obari (right) protect dolphins around the world through Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, a nonprofit focused on dolphin welfare. （Barry King/WireImage）
O'Barry, 50, is the son of Ric O'Barry, 82, who started the Dolphin Program in 1970 after seeing the damage the showbiz world has done to dolphins.
In the 1960s, Ric O'Barry trained dolphins on the set of "Flipper," a tv show that lasted three seasons.
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According to the Dolphin Project, Ric O'Barry then transformed his career from a dolphin trainer to a "dolphin defender" because the show was titled Kathy and "he played Flipper most of the time and died in his arms".
The father and son O'Barry were all present during the release of Johnny, Rocky and Rambo.
According to the Dolphin Project, the three dolphins were captured in Indonesia and spent years performing in a traveling circus until they finally ended up in a small chlorinated pool at a resort in northern Bali.
"Day after day, [they] are forced to perform for paying visitors in noisy theatrical performances," project Dolphin wrote in a press release from the 2020 Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Center.
According to the Dolphin Project, the three dolphins were injured during their captivity.
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Johnny, the oldest of the group, experienced skin damage, pectoral fin injuries, corneal damage, malnutrition and wear and tear on teeth below the gum line.
This summer, Johnny received a crown of teeth that allowed him to fish on his own. Rocky and Rambo reportedly gained weight and strength during their recovery, according to the Dolphin Project. Johnny, Rocky and Rambo did not leave immediately.
It reportedly took the dolphins about an hour to venture into Banyuwedang Bay.
According to the Associated Press, Johnny was the first to leave.
On Saturday, September 3, 2022, Indonesia's Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar (center), opened its doors to release three rescued dolphins – Rocky, Rambo and Johnny – from the Dolphin Sanctuary. Dolphins are released in Banyuwedang Bay, located in western Bali, Indonesia.
The three dolphins reportedly circled the shelter where they were released before leaving the area.
"They turned around and came back to us again, almost saying thank you and goodbye," Lincoln Obari said in a statement. "Then they went straight to the open ocean and disappeared.
According to the news agency, the Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Center will monitor Johnny, Rocky and Rambo through GPS tracking.
"We don't know where they're going next," Obari told The Associated Press, "but we wish them a long life."
In this photo, released by Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project on Saturday, September 3, 2022, rescued bottlenose dolphin Johnny swims to the surface of Banyuwedang Bay after being released from the Uah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release and Retirement Centre in West Bali, Indonesia.
The World Wildlife Fund estimates that the global population of bottlenose dolphins is about 600,000.
"Dolphins feed on fish, and they cooperate to drive their prey to the surface of the water to make it easier to feed," WWF wrote in a common bottlenose dolphin profile.
"Because they are so close to the coast, they are threatened by by-catch, coastal development and environmental degradation.