Danang Said NO to plans for Dolphinarium

Danang is a thriving city in Vietnam. But, in 2017 the city had to make some difficult decisions. Plans were being made to build a marine park, including a dolphinarium – where dolphins would be kept for entertainment and educational purposes.

Luckily, thanks to 200 animal rights groups, the plans were put to an end. Here’s how the city of Danang changed its opinion on keeping dolphins in its aquarium.

Live Dolphin Shows are all the Rage

After the 2013 documentary Black Fish made the rounds, people have been looking at aquariums differently. Some countries in Europe have banned keeping marine mammals for entertainment purposes – and people from the UK, Canada, and the USA have all but stopped going to these shows. But Asia is a little different.

It’s no secret that some Asian cultures don’t see animals as being sentient – that means they don’t think animals have the same emotions and thoughts as humans. That means they don’t always take the animals’ well-being into consideration the same way other cultures from across the world do.

The people who suggested the dolphinarium probably didn’t mean to offend anyone – they just didn’t understand how using animals for entertainment and keeping them in teeny tiny tanks was a bad thing. “They’re just fish after all”.

Changing Minds – Changing the Future

But with the help of thousands of protesters and hundreds of petitions from across the world – Danang officials decided to change their minds. 

Activists and organizations plead with the authorities for months. They explained how devastating it is for dolphins (and all animals) to be ripped out of their natural environment and forced to spend their lives doing tricks for food.

They explained how marine mammals have thoughts and feelings, just like humans. In fact, India came under the spotlight as being one of the first countries to ban live performances and calling dolphins and other marine mammals “non-human people” and giving them basically the same rights as people.

And that’s exactly the mind-shift that happened in Danang. A Russian company wanted to open a marine park. That included catching wild dolphins and keeping them in small tanks – just to entertain people. But officials in Danang decided that it would be cruel to catch and keep the animals. In November 2017 the plans to build the park were put to an end.

A Brighter Future

These victories are small steps in the right direction. But unfortunately, dumplings are a very big attraction in popular tourist destinations across Asia. That includes the dolphin in the traveling circuses of Indonesia.

These poor animals are forced to perform tricks for food. They’re kept in tiny pools full of chemicals. And, worst of all, when it’s time to move they get grabbed out of the pool just like they were grabbed out of the wild. Then they’re put in teeny tiny crates that aren’t even big enough for them to move in. They’re strapped down and left to travel – usually in the dark.

So, the battle may have been won in Danang, but there are still plenty of dolphins and other creatures that need your help.

How you Can Keep Making a Difference

Every little bit counts. And as you know, signing petitions doe help – but there’s a lot more that you can do. You can create awareness by sharing content with friends and family – or even going public on social media. But there’s one thing that will make a very big difference – only support humane animal sanctuaries.

It’s become very clear that a lot of places say they’re rehabilitation and education centers, but if you really go have a look – they’re not. They still advertise “wild encounters” with animals. They still ask animals to perform for food. They don’t have any educational tours. And you can see the animals aren’t well taken care of.

It might feel like a terrible thing to do, but don’t go to places like that. They are exploiting animals for their own gain. And if they lose enough customers because of it, they might just be forced to shut their doors and surrender their animals for good.

Instead, visit the sanctuaries that really care for their animals. Places that don’t allow big groups and are only open to booked tours. Places that are known to release animals back into the wild. Places that allow you to watch animals as they go about their business. And most of all – places that care about educating people.