Bottlenose Dolphin

Rocko, Nando, Kite and Palwas.. Those are the names of four very distinct bottlenose dolphins who are currently turning tricks at the dolphinarium in Germany. The dolphinarium was constructed in 1974 as a part of the local zoo, and is one of the last three of its kind in Germany. There were originally nine such facilities in Germany, however, only Nurnberg, Duisber, and Munster are still fighting concerns of the various animal welfare groups, conservationists and even politicians.

Christine Bindal, and Arne Feurhahn, who are both co-founders of The Black Fish, a new ocean activist group, have recently made their way to Munster to see with their own eyes, exactly what is going on in Westphalian city. “Our aim is to shut this facility down as quickly as possible. Public education and constant pressure are our main strategies to get our four aquatic friends out of the miserable and unworthy conditions they live in”.

This motion all began about seven days ago, when the award winning documentary “The Cove” finally made its way to the silver screen. This documentary completely unveils the brutal yearly slaughter of dolphins in a secluded cave in Taji, Japan. Many of the dolphins which are reeled in in Taji end up in dolphinariums around the globe.

One can only hope that “The Black Fish” can raise awareness for the mistreatment of dolphins around the world, and finally something can be done about this horrible situation. Dolphins are intelligent creatures and really do deserve more respect that what we give them.