Action in defense of dolphins
July 7 is International Day for Captive Dolphins. This year, Armenia marked this day for the first time since there were no dolphins in the country before that.
With signs reading "Don't Use Dolphins As a Means of Leisure", "Don't Contribute to the Elimination of Animals", "Save Dolphins", "Don't Hold Dolphins Captive", "Animals Must Live in a Natural Environment", several environmentalists and bird fans held an action in front of the dolphinarium.
"We are against the dolphinarium in Yerevan. Today we are raising our voices and protesting for the dolphins' release. We don't want to see animals held captive in Armenia," President of the Bird Fans Center NGO-environmental protection organization Silva Adamyan said.
According to her, the dolphinarium was built with violations and there are no normal conditions for the dolphins.
"The dolphins are used to living in salty water, that is, the ocean and the sea. The owners are trying to convince us that there is no chlorine in the water, but we know for a fact that studies have shown that this is drinking water."
As Silva Adamyan mentioned, in the course of months, the dolphins will start having problems with vision and their teeth since there is chlorine in the water.
The environmentalists and animal protectors are concerned about the fact that the dolphinarium administration doesn't let them hold a monitoring.
The Bird Fans Center and "Ecodar" NGO have appealed to the court with an attempt to receive the results of the expert examination from the Ministry of Nature Protection. Environmentalists say the dolphinarium is functioning without experts' conclusion.
