Turkey

A dolphinarium situated in southwestern Turkey really attracted a lot of attention due to worries about the living conditions the dolphins were subjected to, to such an extent that the venue has been closed and the dolphins released after efforts from civil society organizations.

“This has been an intense but effective campaign but we will only feel truly happy when the [dolphins] are finally back in the wild. This shows how much can be achieved by a collaborative effort and people working together across the world with one collective aim: a real testament to the power of the people. With modern communications and clear aims, we have shown what can be achieved,” a representative of Dolphin Angels, Nichola Chapman commented this past weekend.

Dolphin Angels is just one of the NGOs, nongovernmental organizations, which lobbied to have the dolphins freed. The other NGOs which were involved in the efforts were Born Free, and SAD/DEMAG, and were locked in heated debates for months to have the dolphinarium shut down and release the dolphins.

The project proposing to close down the Dolphinarium and save the dolphins from their cruel captors was initiated by a group of Turks and British expats. By organizing themselves into the Dolphin Angels, and marching against the Dolphin Park, they managed to get many travel companies to stop selling tickets. Then finally the dolphins were freed.. Score one for the dolphins, score zero for the fat cat exploiters of the world.