Today World Animal Protection has unveiled the next phase of their campaign to ban captive dolphin breeding at Gold Coast marine park, Sea World, by calling on the likely new owners of Village Roadshow Limited – BGH Capital – to rule out the practice.
A large 10×15 metre billboard in Melbourne’s Lonsdale Street – close to BGH Capital’s offices – and an Australian Financial Review advertisement are designed to capture the attention of the private equity firm on the plight of captive dolphins at Sea World.
Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection, Ben Pearson said:
“World Animal Protection is calling on BGH Capital to implement a captive breeding ban should they be successful in acquiring Village Roadshow.
“We want them to make this the last generation of dolphins bred to suffer in captivity.
“Breeding more dolphins that can live up to 50 years is unjustifiable given the cruelty involved and the declining social acceptability of dolphin captivity.
“Ending captive dolphin breeding will not threaten the future viability of Village Roadshow. It would be a win for dolphins and for shareholders.”
In their natural environment, dolphins swim up to 100 square kilometres in a day, in contrast to their life in captivity confined to small, chlorinated pools.
With Dolphin Marine Conservation Park (DMCP) in Coffs Harbour announcing last year they will end captive breeding, Sea World is now the only venue in Australia where this still takes place.
World Animal Protection and Action for Dolphins are working together with DMCP on a sea sanctuary project, designed to house their existing dolphins in a semi-open sea enclosure.
The tide is also turning when it comes to the companies that facilitate bookings at dolphin venues around the world. Major travel brands like TripAdvisor, Virgin Holidays, British Airways Holidays and Booking.com have already committed to stop selling tickets to dolphin shows and encounters.
Research* reveals 7 in 10 Australians prefer to see dolphins in the wild, and 6 in 10 are willing to pay an extra half more for this experience.
More than 22,000 people from Australia and New Zealand signed World Animal Protection’s petition calling on the Queensland Government to ban captive breeding at Sea World and begin work on a sea sanctuary for the dolphins who cannot be released into the wild.
World Animal Protection is calling on the public to be a voice for dolphins and sign their pledge to only see dolphins in the wild on their website at www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/dolphinpledge.
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