Two dolphins at a Swiss theme park died after ingesting a heroin substitute around the same time as a weekend rave at the park last November, according to reports from Switzerland.
A toxicology report from a forensics institute in St. Gallen, Switzerland, showed tests found traces of the heroin substitute buprenorphine in the dolphins' urine, according to a report in London's Daily Mail online, citing Swiss media reports.
The dolphins died within five days of each other in November, after the area near their pool in the Connyland marine park had been rented out for a weekend rave, according to the reports.
Cornelis van Elk, a Dutch marine biologist, said the drugs turn off a part of the dolphins' brains which tells them when to surface for air.
Connyland keeper Nadja Gasser told local media how one of the dolphins, named Chelmers, died, according to the Daily Mail.
"He was drifting under the water and was clearly in trouble and so we jumped into the water.
"We tried to hold him. He was shaking all over and was foaming at the mouth.
"Eventually we got him out of the water. His tongue was hanging out. He could hardly breathe.
"He was given adrenalin, but it didn't help.
"After an hour the dolphin died."
In a report in the Daily Mail shortly after the rave, wildlife experts said noise from the event could have stressed the animals' immune systems and led to the death of the first dolphin, Shadow.
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Making money at the expense of losing a dolphin...humanity at its worst.
you said it.. this is the worst of us...
Ditto JAANC.
Pathetic.
I hope they catch the moron who did this. And fire the moron who allowed this to happen
Fire the moron who thought renting out to a rave was a good idea.
they should have records of who they rented it to, address, etc. that person needs to be held responsible
If they find the culprits, feed them to the sharks. Oh and don't forget the idiot that approved the RAVE.
Stop the war on drugs and legalize it. In Amsterdam and in designated places in Switzerland they are tolerant and it saves alot on enforcement and people are free. At needle park in Zurich the governement exchanges syringes to reduce the transmission of AIDs.
Oh shut up with that STUPID legalize drugs garbage. UNREAL you sick person. Dolphins died because of a**holes and YOU whine about illegal drugs as if that would really change a darn thing at all.
And how the hell will legalizing drugs stop morons on drugs from putting drugs in the dolphin pool? Its the stupid stuff like this that just decreases the likelihood of drugs being legalized. There's already enough idiots who drink and can't stop themselves from being morons like this group. Go rant about legalizing drugs on a story where people are getting arrested for drugs or dying from overdoses, not a story about morons dumping drugs into a dolphin pool. It has no relevance to this story.
It's a scam. Blame it on the party-goers, while collecting your millions.
Disgusting. Just disgusting.
A rave causing deaths? That never happens!
what sicko gets a dolphin high?
Buprenorphine is commonly administered to animals for pain relief, so there are two possibilities: either a raver threw away a syringe full of synthetic heroin which landed on the dolphins and somehow magically injected itself, or a veterinarian at the animal park used the wrong dose of buprenorphine. Which do you think is more likely?
actually I think some raver had it and threw into the tank – a LOT of people abuse suboxone (clinical name) and have it readily available in pill/strip form which could easily be ingested by the animal – I would also think a vet wouldn't administer more than one animal at a time....
Maybe they OD'd on porpoise
bwahaha!
reminds me of voting.... these dolphines put their trust in humans to do the right thing...they trusted the wrong spectes.
THESE ANIMALS HAVE NO BUSINESS IN A THEME PARK. BOYCOTT THESE SHOWS AND PARKS.
excellent idea...ringling brothers also...must be stupid people that can do much else then on the backs of animals sad
Was that killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando, the one who hauled his traininer by her pony tail to the depths of the pool and drowned her, ever drug tested? Maybe he was having a bad trip, like these dolphins.
No hon, they are not called 'killer whales' just to have something to call them
In his mind, he was probably 'playing' and his 'playing' got rough. He did drag her to the bottom. The trainer wasn't his first time killing a human. But then, she made her own mistakes too. How many times has a dog or cat played with a woman's ponytail and nothing ever came of it? You let a killer whale do that and the outcome can be very different. If I had a love for killer whales, elephants, or tigers I would take my own life in my own hands and not blame the animal if something like that happened. Like every adult, you should know the risks and accept them if they happen, not blame the animal when it does.
now that's a headline I never expected to see... poor dolphins