The Second Dolphinarium Meeting- Belek

18-02-2010

Marine mammals have a vital role in the marine ecosystem. Thus, for the protection of these unique marine mammals, TUDAV is assessing the current situation of dolphinariums and organizing meetings between the stakeholders for the purpose of improving the welfare of these captive animals.

The second meeting was organized in Belek by the support of Troy Dolphinarium. The main topics of the meeting were; existing dolphinariums in our country, their current situation (the animal species and the number they shelter, their pools, etc.), the necessity of having dolphinarium standards and ways to increase the welfare of captive animals in the dolphinariums. Furthermore, dolphin therapy and dolphin rehabilitation issues were discussed. It was pointed out that dolphin therapy centers should keep visitor archives and should share those with the relevant authorities. Even though the main agenda of the meeting was to determine dolphinarium standards, it was decided that the dolphinariums were the first step to create these standards. After the creation of a baseline, marine mammal experts would do the final check and present the dolphinarium standards to relevant authorities.

The dolphin rehabilitation issue was discussed for the first time. The main aim of this meeting was to bring the stakeholders together and find ways of improving the welfare of the captive animals in the dolphinariums. With the help of this meeting, we hoped to raise awareness of marine mammal protection and, as a consequence, prevent hunting of wild dolphins.