The hoax sale of a dolphin on a New Zealand website has provoked a wave of concerned emails from Australia.The Royal New Zealand SPCA said it was outraged by the posting on the popular Trade Me online auction site on Friday.The listing from Auckland claimed the dolphin was being kept in a saltwater swimming pool after being accidentally caught during a weekend fishing trip.It had a current bid of $NZ10,000 ($A9,270) before Trade Me took down the advertisement.The advertiser claimed he and his mates had intended to keep “Skippy” but couldn’t afford to feed him.“Would suit commercial aquarium or someone who knows more about keeping these things,” the posting said.“(He) isn’t that friendly when you try to swim with him.”The SPCA said it was inundated with emails and telephone calls from worried people despite the ad being online for less than two hours.“Many of the emails came from Australia. While the majority of these simply expressed their concern, there were also comments along the lines of ‘Kiwis will sell anything’,” SPCA national chief executive Robyn McDonald said.“Even though the posting has now been revealed as a hoax, our national reputation will still have sustained some damage.”McDonald said investigating the incident had used up valuable resources of the SPCA and New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, which was duty-bound to look into it.She understood the hoaxer had offered to compensate the SPCA for expenses occurred.“While his donation will be welcome, he should have considered the damage he was likely to inflict before indulging in this totally irresponsible attempt at self-promotion,” she said.“There are lessons here for all of us who care about New Zealand’s global reputation as an animal friendly country.”
Actually, New Zealand has a reputation for being a little too animal friendly.
