Minister of Environment Salazar, pictured here with WSPA's former Marine Mammal Specialist, Ric O'Barry, rolled up his sleeves to help the WSPA team release Bluefield and Nica last September.

In a letter addressed to WSPA Regional Director Gerardo Huertas, the Nicaraguan Minister of Environment confirmed that his government has formalized measures to expand the protection of bottlenose dolphins and ban the use of these animals for commercial purposes.

Just last summer, WSPA rescued two dolphins that had been captured in Nicaragua for a private exhibit and kept under deplorable conditions. [Link to previous story] After a brief rehabilitation period, Bluefield and Nica were returned to their home waters in a massive operation led by WSPA and with assistance from the Nicaraguan military. Minister of Environment Jorge Salazar participated in the release effort personally.

Expressing his deepest thanks and appreciation to WSPA, Minister Salazar pledged to enact legislation to protect all of Nicaragua's dolphins so that the story of Bluefield and Nica won't be repeated. And today, that promise has become a reality.

Says Huertas, "This is the latest victory in recent months for animals in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dolphin shows, circuses and other spectacles that exploit wild animals are becoming a thing of the past. I expect even more countries to follow the example that Nicaragua has set today."