Senator Urges Protection for 100 Dolphins in Corporate Feud

Mexico City — Senator Mayuli Martínez Simón, Vice-Coordinator of the Parliamentary Group of the PAN, presented a point of agreement on the floor of the Senate to urge the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) to intervene in the protection of more than one hundred dolphins caught in the middle of a dispute between companies that house the mammals.

"I am presenting this point of agreement with the purpose of making a call to both SEMARNAT and PROFEPA so that they can get involved in this issue," said the PAN legislator.

Mayuli Martínez recalled that several months ago the Senate approved a reform to the General Wildlife Law, which prohibits the extraction, reproduction, and exploitation of marine mammals, including dolphins, although it allowed for specimens currently in the possession of private individuals to remain under their care until their natural death.

"Among the most relevant points of this reform is the prohibition of these practices that threaten wildlife. Likewise, a constitutional reform to Article Four was approved, which prohibits animal abuse and promotes animal welfare," she highlighted.

The Senator explained that in recent days, an economic and legal conflict between the company Dolphin S.A. de C.V. and the foreign firms Prudential and Cigna, which maintain investments in said company, had come to light. However, she warned that at the center of the dispute are more than a hundred dolphins whose fate is at risk.

"Here there is a dispute of an economic nature, but what is truly worrying is the fate of the marine mammals that are now part of this controversy. Therefore, in congruence with the approved reforms, I consider it essential to guarantee their well-being," she stated.

Mayuli Martínez expressed confidence that the point of agreement will follow the corresponding legislative process in committees but considered it timely to speak out from the Senate floor to make the problem visible and reiterate her commitment to the defense of animals.

"From this Upper Chamber, we want to provide protection for more than one hundred marine mammals and ensure that the Mexican State acts responsibly on this issue," she concluded.