Dolphin left for months in derelict aquarium

ANIMAL activists have called for the rescue of a dolphin and dozens of penguins abandoned for eight months in a derelict aquarium in Japan.

The female bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Honey, was left behind with 46 penguins and hundreds of fish and reptiles when the Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium in Choshi, east of Tokyo, was closed in January.

The operators said the closure was caused by a decline in visitors after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear crisis.

A spokesman for the health and welfare department said employees had been feeding the animals. But photos and video taken by activists show Honey in a tiny pool in an eerily empty facility. In another photo, dust-covered penguins perch on a crumbling structure.

Honey is reported to have been captured near Taiji, a port town known for its dolphin hunt. Akiko Mitsunobu, of Animal Rights Centre, said it was “showing signs of stress, putting her head weakly in and out of the water”. The park and its parent company were not available for comment yesterday.