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Southern Resident whales

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is...
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the...

Hopes raised for whale and dolphin protection after last minute landmark nature agreement

WDC's Ed Goodall (far right) at COP15 with Thérèse Coffey (centre) UK Secretary of State...

WDC orca champion picks up award

Beatrice Whishart MSP picks up her Nature Champion award The Scottish Environment LINK, an organisation...

Dolphin captivity concerns grow in Cyprus

Concerns continue to grow over potential plans to build a dolphin park in Cyprus. The country’s Agriculture Minister, Nicos Kouyialis has reportedly told local media that foreign investor applications for the licensing of a dolphin park in Cyprus are being ‘seriously considered’.

Previous attempts to build facilities have been rejected by Cypriot authorities.  In 1997 a Ministerial decree was passed prohibiting whale and dolphin shows and the use of whales and dolphins for commercial purposes in Cyprus. It is thought that any new applications to build a dolphin park may be made on the grounds that these shows are somehow educational.

Whales and dolphins are ordinarily intelligent, social animals that live in groups in the wild and carry out a myriad of tasks throughout daily life that are simply impossible in captivity. Most of the knowledge gained from carrying out research in the captive environment may not be applicable to the conservation of these animals in the wild.