TUI cancels all dolphinarium trips

February 2014: Germany’s biggest tour operator TUI will no longer offer holidaymakers trips to shows featuring captive whales and dolphins and it is hoped other branches of the TUI company, including Thomson and First Choice holidays, will follow suit.

In December, Whale Dolphin Conservation wrote to Thomson and First Choice asking them to adhere to guidance on captive dolphin attractions issued by the UK Travel Association, ABTA. They recommend against tour operator support for attractions which acquire whales and dolphins from the wild, separate mothers and calves and display behaviour unnatural to wild whales and dolphins.

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Captive dolphins released from Turkey thriving in the wild

International efforts successfully return captive dolphins to the wild

September 2012. Three months after their release, Tom and Misha, two captive dolphins rescued from certain death in a filthy swimming pool in Hisaronu, are successfully adapting to life back in the wild. The Back To The Blue team made up of experts from the USA, Turkey and the UK, undertook twenty months of intensive rehabilitation, organised and funded by international wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation, ultimately transforming Tom and Misha from lethargic dependent 'captives' who were close to death, into effective independent wild animals.

"Tom and Misha's success in re-adapting to life back in the wild clearly illustrates that rehabilitation can work. By breaking down the concrete walls of their tanks and the mental barriers created by years in captivity and, literally, by showing them the way, Tom and Misha have demonstrated that dolphins can regain their freedom" said Will Travers OBE, CEO of the Born Free Foundation. Mr Travers continued "Ultimately, however, it is unlikely that this will work for all captive dolphins; many may have just had too many years locked away; and, of course, it's an expensive process. Nevertheless, as concerns grow about the keeping of cetacea in captivity, Tom and Misha's transformation and release clearly illustrates that these animals possess innate natural behaviours that captivity cannot extinguish."

Campaign to end dolphin captivity
While Tom and Misha have become the poster boys for freedom, the Born Free Foundation and NGOs around the world continue to campaign for an end to the commercial exploitation of dolphins in captivity, an increasingly controversial entertainment business built on deprivation. Jeff Foster, the marine mammal expert who headed up Tom and Misha's rehabilitation programme, and who previously led projects to return the orca 'Keiko' to the wild and also reunite 'Springer' with her wild orca family, believes that 90 days of freedom confirms Back to the Blue is a success,

"This has been a ground-breaking project and I admire the Born Free Foundation for stepping up to this challenge and taking it on and also for adopting such a responsible approach. The very high levels of experience brought to this project by members of the team meant that the individual needs - physical and psychological - of each animal could be addressed and each new challenge overcome. You can never predict what will happen next."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/dolphin-release.html#cr

Spanish public say 'NO' to captive dolphins

More than 9 out of 10 Spanish citizens want a ban on keeping dolphins in captivity. A massive 87% believe that dolphins are ‘happier' in the wild.

July 2012. International NGOs from across Europe launched ‘SOS Delfines', a campaign aimed at convincing the Spanish Government to phase-out the country's captive dolphin facilities and raising greater public awareness of the plight of captive dolphins in entertainment-focused marine parks.

Spain has the largest number of captive dolphin facilities in the European Union, with 90 dolphins, 2 beluga whales and 6 orcas in 11 facilities. The majority are located in popular tourist resorts such as Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and the Canary Islands, as well as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Malaga. Licensed as ‘zoos' in Spain, these facilities are required by EU law to conserve biodiversity, educate the public about the animals and their natural attributes and maintain their animals in suitable conditions that meet their needs.

Daniel Turner, spokesperson for the Born Free Foundation, ‘SOS Delfines' UK partner, explained: "Although the campaign is primarily aimed at the Spanish public and Government, the millions of British tourists who visit Spain each year have an important role to play. We are asking the British public to vote with their feet and to avoid captive dolphin facilities during their holidays in Spain this summer."

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/spain-dolphins.html