Costa Rica: No More Swimming with Dolphins

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | August 9th, 2005 | Trackback

Swimming with dolphins and whales has been banned throughout the country, and it is now illegal to keep the animals in captivity. This close contact with marine mammals has been a growing tourist attraction, with some 45 companies promoting it, but it has been criticized by environmental groups. In other news, moneychangers who work the areas outside San Jose’s Banco Central de Costa Rica on Avenida Central or the Boulevard when the banks are closed on weekends are notorious for short-changing tourists. They employ the usual sleight of hand after promising high exchange rates, sometimes switching a fake bill for a real one, saying they do not have enough money to cash it, then quickly disappearing. Three Dominicans who thwarted one scammer threatened to beat him, but he ran for protection to nearby police officers, who turn a blind eye to these transactions.

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