A new nine million dollar aquarium is set to open in Northern India by the end of this year, financed by two large private companies.
Although the oceanarium, the first of its kind in India, could provide an amazing recreational and educational opportunity for both locals and tourists and include research facilities for ocean scientists, there is one snag. The organisers plan to exhibit dolphins.
Keeping dolphins in captivity is widely acknowledged to be cruel, depriving the intelligent mammals of anything remotely resembling a natural life. Allowing the oceanarium to take part in cruelty to marine mammals completely detracts from the attraction, especially the organisers' claims that it will be a world class facility.
Ask the state governor to not let something with so much potential be ruined by an outdated and cruel practice.
We the undersigned ask that you prevent the planned oceanarium in Greater Noida from including dolphins among its attractions. The oceanarium will be more than attractive enough without captive cetacenas, which would detract from any claims of being educational or modern.
It is generally agreed by marine biologists that captivity for cetaceans stresses the animals enormously, in other words it is cruel. In even the largest oceanariums, the showing of captive whales and dolphins is little more than an outdated circus act. Public opinion has turned against such practices throughout much of the world and the last thing a brand new, supposedly modern, oceanarium needs is a relic from the 19th century.
The oceanarium would be far more attractive and far more plausible in its educational claims with this one little change and we ask that you ensure that the facility does not obtain a license to exhibit cetaceans.
Thank you for your attention.
