End of entertainment with dolphins in Dolfinarium? | Inland

Two years ago, the Zoos Committee wrote a critical report on the Harderwijk dolphin park. The animals are too often used as ‘performers’, the enclosures are substandard and the photo opportunities with the animals that the Dolfinarium offers are contrary to the educational role of zoos, the committee concluded. Minister Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) urged the Dolphinarium to become more animal-friendly. It is not known exactly what adjustments the zoo will have to make. The Dolfinarium is having a hard time financially due to the corona measures.

In 2015 it was prohibited in the Netherlands to keep wild animals for circus purposes. The reason for this was that the welfare, health and natural behavior of wild mammals in the circus is affected. An exception was made for zoos, because the animals are not transported there as often and have a more natural habitat. World Animal Protection is it with that disagree: “Like other wild animals, dolphins suffer in captivity. They have too little space, become bored, stressed or even depressed, ”a spokesman explains.

Canada and France previously introduced a breeding ban on captive dolphins. A similar ‘extinction policy’ is also applied in Belgium.

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