NGOs call for closure of marine park
Moviment Graffitti, Animal Liberation Malta and a number of other organisations are calling for the closure of the Mediterraneo Marine Park at Baħar iċĊagħaq.
In a protest held on Saturday, the NGOs protested that “three of the Park’s dolphins died mysteriously last year, yet no action has been taken against the so-called Marine Park.”
The deaths were initially kept secret, with the park even claiming the dolphins had been transferred to Spain, according to Marine Connection UK, the protestors said.
Finally, an investigation by the Office of the Commissioner for Animal Welfare this summer revealed that the three dolphins died of lead poisoning, they added.
The death of these three dolphins is solely a result of the Park’s negligence, the NGOs said. While Mediterraneo has claimed that this was a one-off accident, there have been eight other deceased dolphins, bringing the grim total to eleven dead dolphins, they said.
“This only proves that Mediterraneo Marine Park is nothing more than a poorly disguised circus, whose interests are solely financial. The Park has no role in conservation or rehabilitation, much less education,” they added. “Dolphins should not be held in captivity for entertainment, nor should they be bred, bought or exchanged like a commodity.”
The shows and performances put on at the park are poorly entertaining circus acts, devoid of any educational aspect as claimed, the protestors said. “Anyone wishing to see dolphins can do so with reputable seawatching tours and respectfully enjoy bottlenose dolphins in their natural home.”
As animal circuses have been banned since 2014, this park should not be allowed to continue operating, the protestors said.
“The authorities need to hold the Marine Park responsible for the deaths of these dolphins, revoke the zoo licence and close the park in order to stop these circus acts for good,” the NGOs said.
In a statement, the park said the protestors “repeated several lies” about Mediterraneo Marine Park based on outdated information about practices that have not been used in Europe since the 1980s.
“The park follows strict standards and regulations in line with the most recent EU directives. This is a highly regulated sector and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.”
The dolphin presentations at Mediterraneo Marine Park are educational and have a veterinarian function that helps us protect the well-being of the dolphins on a daily basis, the park said.
The park said that it is also not true that the accidental dolphin deaths last year were in any way mysterious or hidden. “We immediately reported the deaths to the authorities and held transparent investigations that identified what went wrong: lead poisoning caused by strictly forbidden equipment that was used by an external diver who was cleaning one of the pools. We have taken steps to ensure this tragedy does not repeat itself,” the park said.