JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a legal battle over bankrupt dolphin parks in Florida, images depicting injured dolphins have been submitted as part of the case.

First Coast News has acquired these photographs, which reportedly show dolphins that suffered injuries during their transportation between parks in June, based on court documentation.

According to the USDA, several of the dolphins’ injuries are “deep,” predominantly found near or beneath their pectoral fins.

A man committed to preserving Marineland from commercial development argues that these images demand urgent action.

“It’s disturbing. It’s disturbing,” Jack Kassewitz, a dolphin researcher, told First Coast News. 

Kassewitz says these photos show the dolphins that were transported this summer from the Gulf World park in Panama City Beach to the Dolphin Connection in the Florida Keys. It was a moving of assets, if you will,  while the parks’ owner — The Dolphin Company — goes through bankruptcy.

ABC cameras captured images of the dolphins inside blue and black crates in early June as part of the transport. 

“Then they’re also in slings, which fit under what are called their pectoral fins,” Kassewitz explained. 

According to the inspection report from the USDA, the injuries were not on the animals prior to the trip, and the injuries were consistent with the kind coming from incorrect use of the body support devices.

“I think they just tried to do it cheaply,” Kassewitz commented. “It’s a 13-hour ride from Gulf World to the Keys, and think about every time that truck stopped … and [the dolphins] swung forward … there was pain.”

Kassewitz submitted the photos to the judge who is ruling over the bankruptcy case for The Dolphin Company, which owns the dolphins involved as well as the parks they were taken from and delivered to. Black and white versions of the images were posted on the court’s website, but have since been redacted. Kassewitz provided First Coast News with the color versions. 

Meanwhile, The Dolphin Company also owns Marineland Dolphin Adventure in Northeast Florida. It’s the accredited facility that the judge said she wants more information about before approving its sale to a developer or to another entity. 

Kassewitz fits into all of this because he is part of a group of dolphin professionals who are trying to buy Marineland Dolphin Adventure to keep it a dolphin facility.

With the photos, Kassewitz is asking the judge for a protective order for the dolphins at the parks that The Dolphin Company owns across the country.

“Let’s not move any more animals so we can figure it out,” he said.  “And then if that doesn’t work, we would ask that the court consider a guardian ad litem who would oversee the entire project and report to the court, animal by animal. I’m talking about the dolphins.”

First Coast News showed the photos to John Brueggen, the Director of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, who has had experience with transporting animals. He said while animals can get hurt while being moved, these pictures show “quite a bit of damage for an animal transport.” 

When asked why Kassewitz is safeguarding the person who gave him the photos, he told First Coast News it was necessary for their livelihood.

“They’re going to get fired. The staff has been told not to speak to anybody. And so they’re afraid that somebody’s going to find out where these pictures came from.”

First Coast News has emailed and called the names listed in connection with the transport as well as Riveron, the company that is managing the business for The Dolphin Company while it’s in bankruptcy. We have not heard back.

Kassewitz said regarding the injuries, “It’s very important to recognize this is not normal. You don’t see this in a normal transportation [operation].”

These dolphins seem to be caught in the swirl of a bankruptcy case, and Kassewitz says they have the scars to prove it.

Monday, Nov. 10, a hearing is planned in this bankruptcy case in which the judge aims to learn more information about Marineland before she approves the sale of that park. She was unhappy with the debtor’s attorneys for not revealing Marineland was a still-functioning facility with 17 dolphins and 1200 other animals. During the last hearing in late October, the judge halted the approval of the highest bid from a developer after learning information from Kassewitz about the animals.