The mayor of the tourist town Kemer today promised to close the dolphinarium after a protest erupted for both German dolphin protection organizations, Whale and Dolphin Protection Forum (WDSF) and ProWal in the spring of this year.
Last week WDSF manager Jurgen Ortmuller visited Mustafa GA¼l, mayor of Kemer once more. GA¼l assured to do everything to close the dolphinarium and to support the dolphin defenders. Already in May, the mayor of the Turkish coastal town of Bodrum, Mehmet Kocadon, has promiced WDSF and ProWal, to make sure that the dolphins, which are kept as prisoners in a tiny sea pen will definitely get their freedom again.”
Against the statement of the Russian management of the dolphinarium in Kemer, that they are only offering dolphin therapy, the animal defenders now documented with photographs that a show with two bottlenose dolphins and two sea lions takes place daily. Outside the shows, the sea mammals are kept in a very small concrete pool of about 6 to 10 meters, according to the WDSF.
Apparently, the dolphin therapy is offered in cooperation with a German agency, for up to 15,000 Euros for 14 days. This can ruin some family with a handicapped child financially, especially that no public health insurance, subsidises this academically and medically not approved form of therapy. “Donations almost never cover the costs,” according to Juergen Ortmueller from WDSF.
Apparently in some dolphinaria in Turkey the wearout of dolphins are very high. Within a few days, four dolphins died in the dolphinarium in Alanya. For a total of 280,000 dollars, they were imported together with six other sea mammals which were captured in the bloody dolphin slaughter in Taiji/Japan.
The Turkish government approves the dolphinaria in spite of catastrophic conditions in tiny cages and seperated sea pens,” according to Juergen Ortmueller. We have informed all Turkish mayors with dolphinaria that we will call for an international tourism boycott if the dolphinaria will not be closed, because of animal cruelty and the lack of hygiene. The dolphinaria operators are murderer of animal rights.
“Without solar protection, the sea mammals get burned at temperatures above 40 degrees,” says dolphin defender Ortmueller.
In May, ProWal manager Andreas Morlok released two dolphins from a tiny sea pen, belonging to a 5-star hotel in Kefaluka (district of Bodrum). Ironically, the hotel has been giving an “Excellence Award” by the tour operator Thomas Cook, shortly before the dolphins arrived. Nevertheless, in the meantime, all German tour operators like TUI, Thomas Cook, A-ger Tours, Jahn, ITS travelling, Neckermann-travelling, book-travelling, Alltours, Schauinsland travelling and tourism FTI have canceled all dolphinaria tours in Turkey because of the intervention of both organisations.
Yunus Avci, chairman of the Turkish association for tourist hotel and investment companies (GETOB)was worried because of the slander campaign. In connection with the dolphin parks, serious loses are feared for the tourism branch. Only in the future we will see the effects of this campaign against the tourism. Representatives of the provinces, the state as well as hotels with dolphin parks must take measures. If this important subject will be ignored in the future, it could lead to some serious crises.”
In order for the animal sorrow to stop, WDSF and ProWal is now hoping for the understanding of the mayors with dolphinaria in the other cities of Antalya, Belek, Alanya, Marmaris, Kusadasi and Istanbul.
“In order for a dolphin free travel next season, the dolphin protection organisations hopes to intensify the bilateral relations with the Turkish cities which owned the dolphinaria, the responsible governors and the Turkish government this winter,” according to Ortmueller. The relieved sea mammals have to be reintroduced into the wild, if possible, or should be transferred into the care of experts.
Internet: www.wdsf.de
