DFE member organisation One Voice reports on the release of a new report commissioned by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition (MTE) looking at options for the future of Marineland, Antibes orcas and dolphins.
Many of our supporters have been closely following the story of the lone beluga whale, known as Hvaldimir. First seen in Norwegian waters in 2019, wearing what is thought to have been a harness issued by the Russian military, Hvaldimir was sadly found dead in August this year. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute has conducted a necropsy, and their report on the cause of Hvaldimir’s death can be found here.
For the third edition of this international united gathering, thirty-seven countries and overseas associations were represented with the support of four vegan restaurants and several political parties. The memory of animals who died in dolphinariums and places of captivity and training exploiting animals were invoked with a minute of silence observed for all the dolphins and orcas who have died at the marine park since its opening, including of course Moana and Inouk, who lost their lives in the Marineland pools where they vegetated their entire existence. Some words were said in memory of Lolita-Tokitae. Finally, a message was formulated in honour of Morgan, captured in the Netherlands and held at Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain and for Kshamenk in Argentina.
report and images courtesy of One Voice
Today, several members of Dolphinaria-Free Europe, including Born Free Foundation, Marine Connection, One Voice, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and World Animal Protection joined forces with other animal welfare organisations, across 9 counties, uniting at TUI Group’s offices in Berlin, to show there is support across Europe for them to stop selling tickets to captive dolphin venues. It’s time to change what is seen as ‘entertainment’ and prioritise the well-being of animals over profit. Consumer demand for ethical tourism is rising, and together we will not stop until captive whale and dolphin entertainment is truly a thing of the past.
Will TUI now listen to the hundreds of thousands of voices, and join other travel companies who have chosen to stop promoting and selling this type of activity to their customers?
DFE are delighted to report that Jet2Holidays will, from 27 March, cease to sell any excursions to marine parks holding dolphins and whales. This will include Loro Parque, Tenerife which currently holds the orca known as Morgan.
In October 2023 a letter was sent to Jet2holidays on behalf of scientists, conservationists, and organisations, several of which are DFE members, urging them to cease all trade with captive facilities. Congratulations to all involved, we are delighted with this news and hope that this will result in other tour operators following suit
Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality Piet Adema has blocked the sale of eight bottlenose dolphins from Dolfinarium Harderwijk to Hainan Ocean Paradise in China, due to China’s lack of animal welfare legislation. The minister has requested further information from the Netherlands marine park, as the company have not yet shown that the keeping and caring of the dolphins once in China will be in line with the standards set for Dutch zoos.
Previously when the zoo showed interest in selling eight dolphins, two sea lions and two walruses to China, MPs overwhelmingly backed a motion against the deal. The dolphins at Dolfinarium Harderwijk no longer perform tricks for the public following a critical report about their living conditions at the park, and if they are moved to China, and no longer under any control from the Dutch authorities, there is no guarantee that the dolphins will not be used for entertainment or breeding purposes. In 2022, Parques Reunidos closed its dolphinarium in Aquopolis, Costa Dorada (Spain), and sent its nine dolphins to Hainan Ocean Paradise.
