(C.P. / 16-03-10)  Ecologists in Action, an Spanish organization, has denounced the bad situation of the dolphinarium of Tenerife and the presence of some Orcinus orca in captivity. One of them has caused an accident to a zookeeper, causing several injuries to him. These animals are in a precarious situation that has nothing to do with their natural environment.

Due to the effects caused by the captivity of these marine mammals, Tillikum, a male orca that was captured in the 90’s caused death to one of its keepers in Canada, and then killed another one in the facilities of the park where it currently lives: the Sea World in Orlando, USA.

Ecologists in Action denounces that this kind of places are responsible for the death of their keepers, and also responsible for the suffering of the orcas and the rest of the marine mammals.

Orcas are nomadic and migratory animals that travel over 10,000 km to perform their vital functions: feeding and breeding. Also, these marine mammals have anatomical and physiological characteristics that require open spaces to survive. Their complex system of biosonar, with which they locate each other and keep social relationships, transmit some frequencies that would made them go crazy in a place as small as a dolphinarium.

Directive 1999/22/EC regarding the maintenance of wild animals in zoos textually says that the accommodation for animals must be in conditions that aim the satisfaction of biological needs and the conservation of each species and dolphinaria do not fulfil these requirements. Dolphins, in their natural environment, tend to swim up to 100 km a day and dive to depths of over 500 meters. In the dolphinaria they are obliged to swim in circles in their small tanks or just floating.

Law 31/2003 on Wildlife Conservation provides in Article 3 that zoos are obligated to comply with animal welfare measures. In paragraph a) it provides that animals have to be in conditions that allow the satisfaction of their biological and conservational needs; in paragraph b) provides the need to provide environmental enrichment to each of the species in the facilities.

There are 42 orcas in captivity worldwide (8 in Japan, one in South America, 25 in North America and 8 in Europe).  13 of them have been captured in the sea and 29 were born in captivity, what is the sense of having these animals in captivity? Ecologists in Action will request the Spanish Government not to manage again the CITES certificate to wild animals for industry of dolphinaria, since life conditions for these animals are fatal and recovery programs for species are nil.

Ecologists in Action demand a clear action by the Spanish Government to finish this barbarous and cruel business. Dolphinaria are not educative because animal behaviour in them does not exist, and also it boasts of superiority of the human species, while studies of ethology of whales show the opposite.

Ecologists in Action asks for the progressive closure of the dolphinaria, trying to get the less traumatic end for captured animals and that they reproduce in captivity. On the other hand, Ecologists in Action recommends the Spanish Government regulating the industry of whale watching and sea interpretive centers, as a measure of tourism development and as disclosure and conservation measure.