Closure of Boudewijn Park Dolphinarium Bruges in Belgium

Also read: http://www.wdcs.org/submissions_bin/Eu_Dolphinaria_Report.pdf

 

This report concluded: 

 

As the findings of this report demonstrate, EU Member States and the dolphinaria they licence are failing to meet the requirements of the EU Zoos Directive. This in turn undermines the fulfilment of Member States' obligations to ensure that zoos participate in activities relating to species conservation, promote public education and awareness and accommodate their animals under conditions which aim to satisfy their biological and conservation requirements.

 

There are 34 dolphinaria operating in the EU, displaying a reported 286 small whales, dolphins and porpoises18. Fourteen Member States hold cetaceans in captivity, while 13 do not. Detailed information about the status of cetaceans in captivity and dolphinarium practice is difficult to obtain, even for the purpose of scientific research.

 

All 34 dolphinaria display their animals to the public in the form of shows or presentations and some offer interaction programmes such as swimming with dolphins. These programmes risk the health and safety of both the animals and people involved and may encourage visitors to carry out similar activities with wild cetaceans, presenting a threat to both parties. Trainers who perform with captive cetaceans are also at risk in these interactions and have suffered both injury and death as a result, including in dolphinaria in the EU. 

 

·       Conversation

 

Survival rates of cetaceans in captivity are lower than in the wild and concerns have been expressed about both calf mortality and the number of male dolphins available to captive reproduction, with possible implications for the future growth of the captive population. Captures still take place in some parts of the world to supply the worldwide dolphinarium industry.

 

Live capture can present a serious threat to local cetacean populations and can be lethal to both targeted individuals and the groups they leave behind. Wild-caught cetaceans in captivity in the EU are typically from small, distinct populations which inhabit a limited area and breed within limited groups. Repeated live captures targeting these populations to obtain animals for dolphinaria in the EU may thus have had an impact on the survival of the population itself, if not the species as a whole. Trade data concerning the origin of cetaceans imported into the EU is not complete but the import into the EU of wild-caught cetaceans is prohibited for primarily commercial purposes. Imports to dolphinaria have occurred in spite of this prohibition and despite dolphinaria being primarily commercial enterprises charging visitors a fee to enter and watch shows which appear to be largely entertainment-focused. No dolphinarium in the EU is involved in the release of captive-bred cetaceans for conservation purposes.

 

Only seven dolphinaria in the EU reference any involvement by them in the conservation of wild cetaceans on their websites. At least one additional dolphinarium provides information about its contribution to in situ conservation of cetaceans on a species information sign at its cetacean exhibit.

 

Only 14 dolphinaria in the EU promote research involving captive cetaceans on their websites. Research involving captive cetaceans features an average of only 5.4% in the programme of talks and posters at the leading European cetacean research conference. Furthermore, research conducted in dolphinaria has little useful application to the conservation and protection of wild cetaceans. 

·       Education

Dolphinaria in the EU do not appear to be making an important contribution to public education and awareness. Many cetacean exhibits lack public information signs about the species held. Show commentary provides an opportunity to educate dolphinarium visitors about the natural behaviour of the animals displayed and the threats they face in the wild. However, analysis of footage from 18 dolphin shows in the EU revealed them to be primarily focused on providing entertainment to visitors. An average of only 12.3% of show commentary included information about the animals displayed, including that dolphins are mammals, what they eat and information about different body parts. 

·       Wellbeing and welfare

Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises animals as sentient beings and requires Member States, in their implementation of the Zoos Directive to take into full account the biological requirements of cetaceans as highly intelligent animals which travel long distances in the wild and live in social groups. 

 

No captive cetacean in the EU has the freedom to express normal behaviour, a guiding principle for animal welfare. Dolphinaria in the EU fail to meet the biological requirements of cetaceans in captivity or to provide an appropriate species specific enriched environment. Stress and stereotypic behaviour are common among captive cetaceans. Even where veterinary care is optimal, survival rates are lower among captive cetaceans than among their counterparts in the wild. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·      Boudewijn Seapark dolphinarium in Bruges (Belgium)

 

The Boudewijn Seapark dolphinarium in Bruges (Belgium) is certainly not a dolphins' paradise, despite of the declarations of its owners. On the contrary, the situation is very alarming. Their wellbeing is strongly disturbed. The dolphins suffer from important and chronic stress and from lack of space. These conditions increase mutual aggressions, involving wounds and reduced health. Because of boredom and frustration, the dolphins express many abnormal and disturbed behaviors". These conclusions arise from the report of an American biologist specialized in marine mammals behavior, Dr. Toni Frohoff, internationally recognized as a scientific authority in the field of dolphins 'wellbeing. On September 28 2005, Dr Frohof presented her first preliminary report about Bruges dolphinarium during a press conference in Brussels, in order to inform the initiators of the "Law Resolution of the Belgian Parliament on dolphinarium", http://www.dauphinlibre.be/propdelph.pdf the representatives of the Minister in charge of Animal welfare and the Belgian press, Rudy De Motte.  

 

According to Dr. Frohoff, the health and wellbeing of the dolphins are strongly threatened in this dolphinarium whose infrastructure is not adapted to satisfy the physiological and psychological needs of marine mammals.  Dr. Frohoff declared: "I was surprised to meet so many cases of discomfort in such a short period. To get a vision of the gravity of the situation as precise and complete as possible, I should study the dolphins over a longer period. But during my two days of visit in the dolphinarium, which I had never visited, I nevertheless noted a series of behaviors which, on the basis of scientific knowledge available and of my twenty years long experience of study of the behavior, indicate a great mental suffering and great risks for the safety and the health of the animals. The Bruges dolphinarium is clearly too small for nine dolphins. Maybe the total surface of the basins meets Belgian standards but it doesn't even meet the legal receiving conditions applicable in Brazil. 

 

Dr. Frohoff is one of the rare scientists in the world really specialized in the wellbeing of dolphins. For more than twenty years, she has carried out researches on cetacean behavior and has inspected for various international governmental authorities facilities where marine mammals were held in captivity. She is for instance author of a scientific study about dolphin stress for the benefit of IWC. That's because of her great scientific credibility that GAIA asked her to visit Bruges dolphinarium and to write a report about the situation there.

 

The facility environment is completely poor in comparison with other dolphinariums in the world, which try to create a more natural environment for their dolphins. Following her expertise, this facility appears to be sub-standard compared to many facilities around the world that

 

a) Provide a more naturalistic environment for dolphins and

b) Adhere to international governmental regulations.

 

This is especially notable due to the extreme noise and reverberation that is characteristic of an indoor facility (and in particular this one that plays such loud music and encourages loud sounds from the audience as well). In fact, this was also the loudest facility of the many Toni visited and in her opinion, it is completely unacceptable and constitutes cruelty to these animals who are well known for their exquisitely sensitive hearing. Further, the ambient and reverberating noises of the indoor facility pumps and maintenance systems may produce continuous noise from which the dolphins cannot escape. According to her, this point is unacceptable when you know the high auditive sensitivity of the dolphins. 

 

Inadequate light conditions that can create poor psychological and physical conditions.  

 

Useless risks for the safety of the visitors who, for instance are allowed to feed the animals. Dolphins are unforeseeable, so the danger of a bite is real. Public feeding of dolphins has been documented in studies as being highly dangerous to both people and dolphins due to dolphins that injure people as well as disease transmission (which is apparently common according to government reports and research)

 

Aggressive and submissive behavior was observed between dolphins.  Even during this short observation time of the dolphins in the "isolation pool", Toni observed dolphins displacing (pushing), snapping at, and slamming into other dolphins.  Such behavior in the confines of captivity, especially in a facility like this one, does not give the dolphins a reasonable opportunity to escape - therefore such interactions have been scientifically demonstrated to be associated with suffering, illness and even death (see Frohoff 1993, Sweeney 1990, Waples and Gales 2002) (for example, one young dolphin reportedly died due to dolphin aggression at this facility

 

An abnormal number of aggressions: dolphins pushing back, grabbing, and striking each other. Many abnormal and disturbed behaviors: Toni was surprised to note so many forms and frequencies of stress-related behavior in the short amount of time in which she observed the dolphins in the isolation pool, separate from the main performance pool.  Such behaviors included stereotyped circling, stereotyped abrupt body slaps, chuffing (sharp and repetitive exhalations), repeated "begging", stereotyped "beaching" outside of water, "open jaw" displays towards audience members, abrupt head 'jerks', and even doing the same tricks as the performing dolphins were requested to perform - but unlike the others, they were virtually ignored. 

 

A great lack of enriching environment.

 

NO educational programs. The dolphin show appeared to be much more of a comedic circus act for the purpose of entertainment/recreation than an educational show due to displaying dolphins in a subservient and exploitive manner and elicited to behave more like clowns than dolphins. 

 

By capturing or even importing dolphins already in captivity, whether wild-caught or captive-born, Belgium would still be responsible for contributing to a largely environmentally irresponsible and inhumane market in dolphin trade and capture.  Because of the poor conditions for dolphins in this facility, continuing to breed dolphins here could perhaps cause additional problems for the dolphins already in this facility and consequently be considered irresponsible for different reasons.

 

Even if dolphins are surviving longer in Bruges than in other places, it changes nothing to the fact it's not a right place for them. To be able to survive so long is just a sign of their huge intelligence, adaptability and love of life.

 

On the other hand, breeding-in-tank kills a lot of newborn each year and gives birth to some kind of dolphin-zombies. Without culture, without complete social relationships, without sun and fresh air, without seeds, rocks and real salt water, a dolphin is not a dolphin. “He is not able to learn how to hunt in the sea, nor how to speak his own tribe's dialect nor how it feels to swim straight on during hours and hours under the sky in an open sea....

 

Bruges dolphinarium is just an animal circus, devoted to "intensive breeding" and soling their dolphins as soon as they're weaned, as totally dominated and tractable "dolphin slaves", performing days after day, weeks after weeks, years after years, until they die too young...

 

Source: http://www.dauphinlibre.be/brugeseng.htm