Protesting Dirk Arthur @ Riviera

Protesting Dirk Arthur @ Riviera

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Category : big cats protests & events

IMG_3675Have you heard of the magician Dirk Arthur? It seems that many people haven’t, but that didn’t stop the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from hiring him on as their new act. Has the city already forgotten the horrible accident last decade with Roy Horn and his beloved Mantecore? Dirk is one of only a few performers left around the globe that continue to use exotic animals in their act. He was recently dropped from Caeser’s Entertainment Corporation, ending his shows at the Harrah’s casinos in both Laughlin and Reno, Nevada. Together, we can push the Riviera to drop his act from their bill.

IMG_3671Dirk Arthur says he is for conservation, but he has recently been cited by federal agencies for serious violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including forcing tigers and a lion to undergo a painful declawing surgery. This procedure amputates the last joint on each toe, and is highly frowned upon. He has also kept his large cats in metal cages with no protection from the harsh elements in temperatures over 100 degrees.

petaActivists gathered on Wednesday November 19th outside of the casino on the Las Vegas strip to protest Riviera’s involvement with Dirk Arthur. His show officially starts on December 1st, so local activists have come together to plan a 3 day long public awareness event taking place just feet from the open casino floor. Get together with your family and friends to show your support for the animals who are forced to perform 6 days a week. We will be meeting Saturday Nov 29th: 3:00-5:00pm. Sunday November 30th: 3:00pm-5:00pm. Monday December 1st 5:00-7:00pm. Posters will be provided, but in limited supply. Feel free to create your own. You can also help us raise awareness by dressing in animal costume/face paint. We welcome all forms of your creativity.

dirkarthurheader

 

Please leave comments on the social media pages belonging to the Riviera Hotel and Casino–

Email the Riviera’s president, Robert Kunkle, and tell him you’ll be going elsewhere until the show is axed. [email protected]

Call the Riviera box office at 702-794-9433, press 2. Urge the ticket agent to forward your comments to management. 

Join local activists thanksgiving wknd protesting #DirkArthur #WildIllusions @RivieraLasVegas Cruelty is no illusion pic.twitter.com/1RLJnlU6i3 (Tweet This)

 

Email @RivieraLasVegas Robert Kunkle and tell him you will boycott until #DirkArthur #WildIllusions is off the bill! pic.twitter.com/0Gy0pRI6Nf (Tweet This)

 

Call @RivieraLasVegas box office 702-794-9433 press 2. urge them to pass your comments to management #dirkarthur pic.twitter.com/4kzBM4PX48 (Tweet This)

 

There is no excuse for using big cats for entertainment @RivieraLasVegas It’s a recipe for suffering #DirkArthur pic.twitter.com/k2RmdLrTzd (Tweet This)

 

Caesar’s severed ties with #DirkArthur.. @RivieraLasVegas we ask you to do the same. 2015 is no time for animal acts pic.twitter.com/s9llPlKvyv (Tweet This)

 

#dirkarthur’s use of exotic animals is out of style. @RivieraLasVegas we will not support you while you support him! pic.twitter.com/EIPQ9WHMnF (Tweet This)

 

Roy Horn was mauled on stage @TheMirageLV a decade ago & now @RivieraLasVegas brings #dirkarthur #CaptivityKills pic.twitter.com/yxI7LdPoPK (Tweet This)

 

Hey @RivieraLasVegas Animal abuse is not entertainment. Drop the curtain on #dirkarthur #wildillusions! pic.twitter.com/4EP4ZxxUl9 (Tweet This)

 

#DirkArthur has left big cats in metal cages in temps over 100F! @RivieraLasVegas don’t be part of animal cruelty! pic.twitter.com/2NwYVLln4H (Tweet This)

 

#DirkArthur mutilates his big cats with declawing which violates #AnimalWelfareAct @RivieraLasVegas cancel the show! pic.twitter.com/J1T70RTdUt (Tweet This)

 

Pablo’s Protest

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Category : protests & events

On November 8th, activists from the Las Vegas area gathered in front of the Mirage hotel to give a voice to the dolphins that have died within this facility over the last 24 years.

group

Over 20 people held signs and passed out educational information about the habitat within the casino in the desert. One activist came as a mermaid, and small children gathered around her to listen to the stories of the dolphins.

mermaidWe were able to reach a lot of the vehicle traffic on the strip due to a group of motorcycle stunt riders who got stopped by police, causing a traffic jam for almost the entire protest. Our website logged over 200 hits that day.

carWhile some may look at this protest and compare it to last months which had an attendance of over 100 and think we are failing, but that is not the case. The protest in October was a special event with Ric O’Barry where many people traveled from across the country to join in. With every protest, we see return faces, and many new ones. Our local group continues to grow, while online support has gone up by the thousands since May.

33Our group collected over $80 in donations that will go towards printing up brand new brochures. Our next protest is on December 6th, and our focus is the dolphin “Rascal” aka “Wizard”. He was born at the habitat and died in 2004 after 3.5 years of life. His cause of death has never been released after a decade. We want answers.

 

 

 

November Protest

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Category : call to action protests & events

Another month has passed, and Mirage has not made any major improvements for the PABLOEVENT2dolphins at the Mirage. We have chosen to protest on Saturday, November 8th from 3-5pm. We must continue to put pressure on the facility and let our presence be known. This is the first protest after Ric O’Barry visited, so it is very important that Mirage sees that we can still pull the numbers without him.

Our group always meets at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and the northern entrance to the Mirage hotel. The tourists always come up to this section of the “lake” to take photographs, so try to stand in a long line back against the gate. The tourists will be forced to read our protest signs. If you want to stand by the protestlocationroad to attract the attention of the cars, please be careful to not step off the sidewalk, the buses come very close. We also must stay out of the way of the tourists and not block the foot traffic.

We will bring posters for people to hold, and brochures to pass out. It would help tremendously if you were able to print some brochures and bring them because we will run out of what we have.

A little history on this protest- On November 9th 1978, original Mojave Dolphin Banjo was captured from the wild. He passed away on October 12th 2004. He is father to Sage, Pablo, Rascal, Maverick, and HufNPuf. Pablo was born on November 13th 1996 to Duchess and Banjo. He was transferred to Gulf World on April 9th 2006 for breeding purposes (we received Lightning). Pablo passed away six months later on November 7th 2006.

protestrights

Public Awareness Is Key!!!!

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Category : protests & events

Most people do not realize how much money goes into making our demonstrations outside of the 29Mirage Hotel and Casino successful. We are not just trying to get the attention of the hotel, we are trying to get the attention of the locals and tourists that are walking down the strip. We have found one of the most effective ways to get this information to them is a brochure or flyer. Tourists can stuff them into their purse and read them when they are on the plane later, or show them to their friends. Some may think they are a neat souvenir, a clean alternative to what is usually being handed out. Our group has designed several that talk about the horrors of dolphin captivity, gives details about the Mirage death pool, and we even have our own brochures for the Taiji slaughters.

As more activists join the fight, our protests grow in numbers and we reach more people. The 30protest last week, we handed out over 600 brochures. We would of ran out if one of our dedicated dolphin sisters did not come prepared with her own backup stash. The 600 brochures cost us $120 dollars to print out. That may not sound like a lot of money, but the two of us have ran our funds pretty low the last year and a half.

After much debating, we have decided to accept donations towards protest supplies. Right now the money would go towards the cost to print brochures to hand out. Our next protest is on November 8th.

Make a Donation Button

 

Enough Is Enough!

Tags :

Category : media protests & events the cove/taiji

What an amazing experience this last week was. Where to begin?

10On Wednesday, we picked up Ric O’Barry to go do a radio show for KNPR Las Vegas. The interview lasted about 13 minutes, and gave him an opportunity to educate an audience that would probably never go looking for our cause otherwise. The interview has been uploaded online.

Afterwards, My News 3 met us at his hotel for a quick interview. Hotel management came down, asking questions about the interview. We assured them the hotel would not be mentioned, and told them about the cause. Upper management also came down before the interview ended. We were informed that they usually cut these interviews off and do not let them happen. When Ric O’Barry finished his interview, the management team from the hotel shook his hand and said they were big fans. One worker said he got our flyers at his college, and would be attending the showing.

3Thursday was the big day. We had been planning this event for 5 months, and couldn’t believe it was finally here. The showing of The Cove with Ric O’Barry. We arrived early, and began to set up the auditorium, while Dolphin Project team members sold merchandise to people waiting. Bikers 4 Orcas Socal provided the tissues with dolphin clips that were seated on your chair when you came inside. INTRO2Doors opened at 7pm, as our youtube videos played on the big screen. People entered the door to a table with a sign in sheet, petitions, and a jar to place questions to Ric in. After we thanked everyone for attending, especially the Cove Monitors from Taiji, and the movie began to play, silence was heard throughout the theater. Everybody’s eyes were glued to the screen. I forgot how much of an impact this movie has on your soul. 180 people attended the screening overall. One third of the theater had never seen the movie before, and I am positive they walked out of that screening a changed person. Ric answered questions, and people hung on his every word. He spent so much time talking with us, that we had to leave the theater because our time was over. Ric is such a gentle, kind soul. He made sure to talk to as many people as he could, signing autographs and posing for many photos. We hung outside of the theater until the crowd fizzled away to get sleep for the next days protest. ((View photos from event here))

We arrived at the protest around 4:30, and a crowd had already begun to form. Before we knew it, we had over 100 protesters. People traveled from Washington, Utah, California, Arizona, Florida and further to protest for dolphin rights next to the man who started it all. I can’t even count the number of people who said we completed items on their bucket list. Ric O’Barry protested with us the entire 2 hours, giving his expert opinion on all dolphin questions thrown his ric5way. His sign was a replica of the same sign he used back in his opening day demonstration of the Mirage. The message is still the same- Enough is enough! 24 years is a long time to be stranded closer to Death Valley than the ocean from which these dolphins originate. The sidewalk was flooded with people holding signs, and passing out brochures to anyone who was interested. We passed out over 600, and signed hundreds of letters to the MGM head honchos. As the lights on the strip began to sparkle, and the memory of the dolphins were long gone from the minds of the tourists who had seen them earlier in the day, we stood strong, united as a voice for the voiceless. ((View photos from event here))

 

Photo by NatureSound.org
Photo by NatureSound.org

The protest made the news, and many people have written online about their experience. Our friends at Vegas Rock Dog Radio spoke out about it on her radio show the following day. It starts at about 27:30, click to listen.  Thanks for the shoutout, Sam. We really appreciate it, and look forward to working with you again in the future.

We have uploaded all of the photos from both events onto our facebook page, and we are working on getting the video from the Q&A segment from the screening online for everyone to review, or watch for the first time. Please be patient while we get that up. As soon as it is available, you will be the first to know!

We feel forever thankful to have Ric O’Barry set aside time in his schedule and pay us a visit in the middle of the Mojave Desert. This is an experience we will never forget. We are more motivated than ever to do what is right by these 10 dolphins. We hope you are too.

mirage7

Call to Action: Vegas Media This Week!

Tags :

Category : call to action protests & events

This is a very big week for us here at Mojave Dolphins. On Thursday, we are screening the Academy Award winning documentary “The Cove” for free, and the following night we have a giant protest outside of the Mirage. Both of these events will be attended by none other than Ric O’Barry himself. This is a chance to interview the man who many credit as starting the cetacean rights movement. Ric O’Barry protested the Mirage in the 90’s, and has information about this facility. We feel local media should be covering this event. We have not gotten any media attention from FOX 5, 8 NEWS NOW, or the Las Vegas Weekly.

We have already sent out a press release to ALL media (not just ones listed here) but would appreciate the extra help in getting the attention of these three news stations and their anchors. You may use the tweets below to promote the events happening this week, or click here for previous tweet sheets about the conditions at the habitat

Fox 5 News

  • @Fox5Vegas

.@Fox5Vegas #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@VegasAnchor #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@FeinbergFox5 #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@OliviaFierro #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  • Monica Jackson (Fox5 Anchor) – @MonicaFox5 – Email

.@MonicaFox5 #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  • Jon Dabkovich (Fox5 Anchor)  – Email
  • Stefanie Jay (Fox5 Anchor) – Facebook page – @StefanieJay – Email

.@StefanieJay, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@ElizabethWatts5, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  • Jon Castagnino (Fox5 Reporter)  – @JonCastagnino – Email

.@JonCastagnino, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  • Les Krifaton (Fox5 Reporter)  – @LVweatherguy – Email

.@LVWeatherGuy #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR(Tweet This!)

  • Shannon Moore (Reporter)  – @ShannonMfox5 – Email

.@ShannonMFox5 #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  •  Rachel Moore (Reporter)  – @rachelann_moore – Email

.@Rachelann_Moore, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  • Danielle Miller (Reporter) – Email
  • Maggie Krol (Reporter)  – @MaggieKrol – Email

.@MaggieKrol, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@LindsayCFox5, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

8 News Now

  • @8NewsNow

.@8NewsNow, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

.@G_Knapp, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

.@Gr8Anchor, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@DeniseValdez, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

.@BrianLoftus8, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

  • Kirsten Joyce (8NN Anchor)  – Email
  • Lauren Rozyla (Gen. Assignment Reporter) – Facebook page – @LaurenRozyla – Email

.@LaurenRozyla, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

  • Aaron Drawhorn (Gen. Assignment Reporter) – @AaronDrawhorn – Email

.@AaronDrawhorn, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR (Tweet This!)

.@SharieJohnson_, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

.@Joe_Bartels, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

  • Patranya Bhoolsuwan (Gen Assignment Reporter) – Facebook page – @Patranya – Email

.@Patranya, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

.@BBrennan8news, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

  • Vanessa Murphy (Gen Assignment Reporter) – Facebook page – @vanessa_murphy – Email

.@Vanessa_Murphy, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

  • Scott Daniels (Gen Assignment Reporter) – Facebook page – @scott_8newsnow – Email

.@Scott_8NewsNow, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

.@DianeTuazon, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

  • Karen Castro (Gen Assignment Reporter)  – @Karen8NewsNow – Email

.@Karen8NewsNow, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

Other Media Outlets in Vegas

@LasVegasWeekly – popular las vegas weekly magazine

.@LasVegasWeekly, #MojaveDolphins cordially invite U 2 #TheCove 10/2 &protest 10/3 @RichardOBarry will be at both! pic.twitter.com/SpAzHfVdTR  (Tweet This!)

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Archives

Categories

Tags

audio axl rose bill maher britney spears cake boss call to action celebrities cetaceans chewing gum chicken nuggets dirk arthur dolphin death pool dolphin habitat dolphin pox dolphins dolphin safe ellen degeneres events florida guns n roses killer whales las vegas strip las vegas tourism maryland miami seaprison miami seaquarium mirage las vegas non-cetaceans orca rest in peace ric o'barry riviera hotel and casino seaside sanctuary seaworld seaworld orlando seaworld san antonio seaworld texas slash taiji the cove the mirage hotel and casino tweet sheets vegas rock dog radio videos wild illusions
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