World Animal Protection sues TUI over dolphinarium ticket sales
Animal welfare organisation World Animal Protection (WAP) has accused travel company TUI of selling tickets to dolphinariums where dolphins are allegedly subjected to inhumane treatment. In a report released on Tuesday, WAP claims the animals are confined in cramped enclosures and, even when pregnant or elderly, are forced to perform "the same routines over and over again."
WAP alleges that TUI is violating its own stated animal welfare policies. Dolphins featured in shows that are often included in travel packages are reportedly kept in "torturously small tanks" designed for tourist visibility rather than animal well-being. The report also cites exposure to harmful chemicals and infections and claims that some dolphins are “drugged to cope with the trauma of captivity.”
" Enormous psychological stress"
According to WAP, “they experience enormous psychological stress, leading to self-mutilation, aggression and lifelong suffering.”
These are precisely the kinds of conditions that TUI, including on its own website, claims to reject. Yet WAP’s findings suggest otherwise, pointing to incidents where dolphins have been physically injured, mothers separated from calves and older or pregnant animals made to continue performing.
WAP believes TUI is fully aware of the situation. “The top brass at TUI are fully aware of the terrible conditions the animals are subjected to,” said Katheryn Wise, WAP’s Wildlife Campaign Manager. “The evidence has been presented to them time and again, but they consistently turn a blind eye. Their profit margins clearly outweigh welfare considerations for the dolphins they use.”
While dolphin breeding is banned in Belgium, the practice continues abroad. A survey commissioned by WAP among (potential) TUI customers in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands found that 84 per cent would like TUI to stop offering tickets to parks where dolphins are still being bred.
Michel Vandenbosch, chairman of the Belgian animal rights group GAIA, also criticised TUI’s ongoing association with such facilities. “They’re really outdated, a relic from sixty years ago. These animals can’t be happy in captivity, given the cognitive, emotional and social demands they make. Instead, they’re locked up in a concrete tank.”
Vandenbosch believes the motivation behind dolphinariums is purely financial. “You shouldn’t look for anything more than commercial interest. I hope TUI seriously considers whether it will still offer these visits to such shows.” He points to more ethical alternatives: “There are all sorts of initiatives to spot them in the open ocean, where you can see them in all their splendour, just as they do in nature. Let’s abandon these outdated practices.”
TUI Belgium declined to comment on the report.
Boudewijn Seapark in Brugge ©BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER
