Port Elizabeth – A crippled and barely functional Bayworld is expected to get a cash injection of over R300 million to save what was once a top tourist attraction in Port Elizabeth, the “bottlenose dolphin capital of the world”.
The Eastern Cape sport, recreation, arts, and culture department on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality placing the management of the oceanarium, snake park, and museum complex in the hands of the metro.
According to the broader plan, Bayworld will be part of the proposed waterfront development along the Humewood beachfront.
Speaking at the event on Friday, MEC Pemmy Majodina was adamant that dolphins would come back to Port Elizabeth and “multiply in numbers”.
“Once we are ready, the dolphins must come back. Bayworld is characterised with these dolphins; they must be named with African names… this institution must be reshaped,” she said.
A once a buzzing complex which drew hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, Bayworld finally dropped to junk status in 2009 when the centre’s last dolphins, Domino and Dumisa, were relocated to Ocean Park in Hong Kong as part of a breeding loan.
Port Elizabeth Museum education and training manager Sylvia Van Zyl said that even though Domino and Dumisa still belonged to Bayworld it was unlikely they would return to the oceanarium.
“Our animals are being accommodated by Ocean Park which has amazing facilities and probably the best veterinary care in the world. Domino, the male, has been used with one of their females and a calf has since been born, Angelo. Dumisa has gone into a female group and this is how dolphins in the wild would actually organise themselves… she is now being schooled for her own calf.”
Van Zyl said it was possible that their offspring could come back to South Africa.
“They will probably not bring any of the breeding animals here and this has been the arrangement with the breeding facility and a presentation facility, so if the Hong Kong people agree the dolphins can come back to South Africa, this will mean that there has to be a facility of the right standard,” said Van Zyl.
The Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) will be at the forefront of implementing the Bayworld development. The conceptualisation and planning process is expected to take up to one year. MBDA CEO Pierre Voges said the centre would see progress in the next five years.
“Bayworld is not just about education, marine research, and tourism. It’s about expanding the economy. It’s sad to say this city has gone backwards over the last couple of years in terms of economic growth. These decayed facilities can actually get the city back to where it was in its contribution to the national economy,” said Voges.
Port Elizabeth mayor Danny Jordaan said the signing of the memorandum with the Eastern Cape government represented a major milestone in the municipality’s endeavours to create jobs and grow the city’s economy.
Work would now begin on a technical assessment, business plan, and renovations to finally re-open the doors of a revitalised Bayworld.
He asked for patience during the reconstruction process, saying the end result would be a “world class” facility for all.
“Today marks the unleashing of the potential of the five golden years (2016 – 2021) and this ceremony of the hand-over of the Bayworld will undoubtedly amplify our coastal and marine tourism. The extraordinary beauty, cultural wealth, and great diversity of the metro’s pristine coastline make it a preferred destination for many holidaymakers across the globe.
“We have an ocean that stretches a far distance. In terms of creating jobs we always tend to look at land, but we need to look towards the sea and look at the oceans economy as a resource,” Jordaan said.
African News Agency