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The killing of dolphins in Peru |
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Head of dead dolphin in Lambayeque (© Mundo Azul) |
With an initial financial support of "British Divers Marine Life Rescue", "Cetacean Society International", the "Humane Society of the US", the "World Society for the Protection of Animals" and other organizations, as well as private donors, Mundo Azul started in 2002 investigating the Peruvian black market on illegally caught dolphin meat.
According to our inquiries, fishermen along the coast were well informed about the existence of the law prohibting the capture of dolphins. Nevertheless, the dolphin killing continues and there exists a huge black market. The dolphin meat is regularly landed at night on beaches near the ports in order to avoid the controls of harbor officials. At this point, the meat is already cut into small pieces and hidden in boxes, while heads, flukes, bones and intestines have been thrown over board before or while entering the harbor.
The meat is then openly sold on local markets. Near the capital or other bigger cities, we found well-established black markets for insiders and clients who directly order the meat in special restaurants or with personally known fishermen.
In Peru, governmental institutions like the Coast Guard or the National Police do not have sufficient economic resources and infrastructure in order to permanently control the 3,000 kilometers of partly inaccessible coast line.
We believe that the capture of illegal dealers
and fishermen illegally killing dolphins is an important part of any
conservation campaign that wants to achieve certain success. Each time
we are able to capture one of these people, we are actively reducing
the Peruvian dolphin killings and we are sending out a strong signal
of law enforcement to everybody who might still be engaged in this kind
of illegal activity.
Therefore, Mundo Azul has become engaged
in a long-term cooperation with the Department for Ecological Crimes
of the National Police of Peru and the Peruvian Coast Guard in order
to find and capture illegal fishermen and dealers of dolphin meat.
Volunteers and professional investigators
of Mundo Azul are searching on beaches, in ports and in markets for
indications of these illegal activities, trying to identify the people
engaged in these activities, their clients and suppliers. We then inform
the police about the results of our investigation and participate in
the police or coastguard operations, when capturing these individuals.
We are also providing local police and Coast Guard officials with training courses and logistical support (transportation) in order to help them realize the capture operations.
If you are going to visit the Peruvian coast as a tourist, you can help us do this work. If you find dead dolphins on the beach or you see people slaughtering dolphins or offering dolphin meat for sale, file a complaint and/or send us the information. You can find more information on how to do this on the page "What I can do to save the dolphins"
Our work of catching the people involved in these illegal activities involves great personal risks for our investigators. The identity of local sources of information has to be protected and often they have to be paid in order to get the information we need. The observation of local black markets is costly and time consuming. In order to continue helping the Peruvian Police and Coast Guard to capture illegal fishermen and meat dealers, we need your financial support. If you want to help us with your donation, please contact: mundoazul@terra.com.pe
Below you can see some cases where Mundo Azul's investigation could lead to the capture of illegal meat dealers:
Salaverry:
On 06. April 2003, Mundo Azul investigators and the Police for Tourism and Ecology discovered the inner organs of a small cetacean on the beach aside the fishing dock of Salaverry. Later, the illegal dealer of the cetaceans' meat was identified in the local market. Together with the local police, she was captured and 5 Kilogram of dolphin meat was seized.
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Capture of illegal meat dealer, Salaverry (© Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul) |
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Stefan Austermühle, Exective Director of Mundo Azul with seized dolphin (© Mundo Azul) |
Based on the information of another local source, it was possible to obtain knowledge of a fishing boat that was in the process of bringing in dead dolphins, in order to sell them to local meat dealers. Together with Coast Guard and local police officials, it was possible to board the boat after it arrived at the port and searched it. The body of a Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) was found.
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Dead dolphin found in fishing boat (© Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul) |
The dolphin was seized by the Coast Guard and police in order to serve
as proof.
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Chimbote
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Capture of illegal dolphin meat dealers (© Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul) |
Based on an investigation realized by Mundo Azul, local officials of the Police Department for Ecological Crimes and Inspectors of the Vice Ministry of Fisheries were able to catch two illegal dolphin meat dealers in the market "El Progresso" in Chimbote.
A total of 37 kilograms of dolphin meat was seized.
Caceta
On Friday, May 23. 2003 members of Mundo Azul and police officers of the Department for Ecological Crimes were able to capture, in the act, an illegal dealer of dolphin meat at the market "Caceta" in Lima. The man had been identified by undercover investigators for Mundo Azul and was observed for more than three weeks openly selling dolphin meat in the market. Finally, a team of Mundo Azul members and policemen were able to catch the dealer in the act while selling dolphin meat in the market. A total of 27 kilograms of cetacean meat were seized and afterwards handed over to a public kitchen for poor people. The man later admitted to be very well informed that selling cetacean meat was an ecological crime. He said that he obtained the meat from the fishing terminal of "Ventanillas", Lima, where it was sold under the table to known clients. He also admitted to regular sales of cetacean meat as there was no control and he did not expect to get caught.
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Capture of illegal dolphin meat dealers in the market of Caqueta (© Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul) |
Callao
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Oficial illegal dolphin meat (© Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul) |
On Wednesday, 03 June 2003, private investigators for Mundo Azul and police officers from the Department for Ecological Crimes managed to capture two men trying to illegally sell cetacean meat and Peruvian boobies for human consumption at a market in the harbor city of Callao, neighboring Peru's capital of Lima. After being under surveillance for several days by private investigators for Mundo Azul, Rafael Zapata Sanginez, age 48, was caught with 35 kilograms of dolphin meat and Nicanor Espinoza Albino, age 56, was caught offering 8 kilograms of dolphin meat and five slaughtered Peruvian boobies for sale.
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Capture of illegal dolphin meat dealers in the market of Callao |
Video 1: arrest of illegal meat dealers