Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
We're at COP28 to Save the Whale, Save the World.

We’re at COP28 to save the whale, save the world

Ed Goodall Ed is WDC's head of intergovernmental engagement. He meets with world leaders to...
Gray whales from drone.

We’re taking steps to uncover the mysteries of whales

Vicki James Vicki is WDC's protected areas coordinator, she helps to create safe ocean spaces...
We must protect our non-human allies. Image: Tom Brakefield, aurore murguet, johan63

We’re urging governments to protect all of our climate heroes – CITES

Katie Hunter Katie supports WDC's engagement in intergovernmental conversations and is working to end captivity...
The Natütama Foundation are dedicated to protecting endangered river dolphins. Image: Natutama

Guardians of the Amazon: protecting the endangered river dolphins

Ali Wood Ali is WDC's education projects coordinator. She is the editor of Splash! and KIDZONE,...
Amazon river dolphins. Image: Fernando Trujillo/Fundacion Omacha

Amazon tragedy as endangered river dolphins die in hot water

Ali Wood Ali is WDC's education projects coordinator. She is the editor of Splash! and KIDZONE,...
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin © Mike Bossley/WDC

WDC in Japan – Part 3: Restoring freedom to dolphins in South Korea

Katrin Matthes Katrin is WDC's communications and campaigns officer for policy & communication in Germany...
Wintery scene in Iceland

Seeking sanctuary – Iceland’s complex relationship with whales

Hayley Flanagan Hayley is WDC's engagement officer, specialising in creating brilliant content for our website...
Whaling ship Hvalur 8 arrives at the whaling station with two fin whales

A summer of hope and heartbreak for whales in Icelandic waters

Luke McMillan Luke is WDC's Head of hunting and captivity. Now that the 2023 whaling season...

EU Dolphinaria-free zone

This week, WDC joined other leading whale and dolphin experts from around the world to attend a high profile EU-oriented public event in Brussels. The event called upon European citizens, Euro-Parliamentarians and Member States’ Governments to end captive dolphin shows and interactive sessions which exploit the animals and compromise their welfare.

The fact remains that 15 out of the 28 EU Member States have a commercial dolphin facility. Most countries have a single dolphinarium but Member States such as Spain have 11 facilities. In total, there are 34 dolphinaria in the EU displaying 307 cetaceans. Most are bottlenose dolphins but orcas, belugas, harbour porpoise and a single Amazon river dolphin are also kept. In 2011 WDC wrote a review on the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity in the European Union. The report, written for the European coaltion ENDCAP, concluded that 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 and to provide appropriate species specific enrichment. In short, dolphinaria in the EU are failing to comply with the requirements of the EU Zoos Directive.

In addition to delegates from the EU, the two day conference played host to international experts such as Dr Naomi Rose, an authority on cetacean live capture, trade, and captivity; Dr Ingrid Visser who has researched wild orcas for more than 20 years and former SeaWorld trainer, Samantha Berg, who featured in Blackfish.

The Blackfish effect has brought the issue of cetacean captivity to the mainstream and the conference built on the growing public, political and media interest in this topic.

The Greek MEP, Kriton Arsenis, and a good friend to WDC also lent his support, “Though humans have always had a special connection with cetaceans, their protection has not been a policy priority within Europe for a considerable period of time. What is happening is quite brutal. There has been growing awareness regarding the special nature of cetaceans amongst governments, scientists and the public, it is thus particularly sad that despite all this knowledge on cetaceans dolphinaria still exist. Urgent action is necessary and I am calling for the immediate implementation of the zoo directive and also a phasing out of dolphinaria in Europe.”

The conference culminated in a screening of Blackfish at the European Parliament, hosted by Members of the European Parliament.

Image 1: WDC’s Rob Lott

Image 2: Dr Naomi Rose, Rob Lott, Dr Ingrid Visser and former SeaWorld trainer, Samantha Berg.

Image 3: Conference delegates at the European Parliament