Greek education ministry advises school trips to avoid captive facilities

The education authorities in Greece have issued new advice for teachers when planning school trips with their pupils, with particular reference to the issue of keeping wildlife in captivity.

One of the recommendations from the Ministry is that when planning such trips, “places where animals are kept in captivity for commercial purposes are to be avoided because this does not abide by the principles of education, which places importance on the awareness for the protection and respect for the natural environment, the adoption of similar standards of conduct and the creation of responsible personalities with social and humanitarian values”.

Greece currently has one zoo in Athens which holds bottlenose dolphins. The waters around Greece are home to bottlenose, striped and common dolphins as well as sperm whales and Cuvier’s beaked whales in the deep waters off the southern mainland.