Keep Dolphin Tanks out of Armenia
Help prevent the inhumane confinement of dolphins in this facility.
We appeal to the government of Armenia to immediately halt construction of a dolphinarium in Komitas Park in Yerevan. The confinement of dolphins in this facility would be both inhumane and illegal. Many important Armenian figures are buried at the park therefore a dolphinarium at this site would also be culturally inappropriate.
It is our understanding that four bottlenose dolphins will be imported from Ukraine for the facility. Bottlenose dolphins are listed in Ukraine's Red Book of endangered animals and plants. We oppose the capture and confinement of cetaceans for the purpose of public entertainment.
During capture and confinement, which is often a violent affair, these wild marine mammals suffer shock and stress due to the manner in which they are ripped from their natural, dynamic, ecologically rich surroundings and housed in enclosed, sterile, unnatural environments. Dolphins in captivity often suffer from ulcers and act out aggressively towards conspecifics and humans.