Barcelona Exploring Retirement Options for Dolphins in Closing Facility

On December 22, 2016, the city of Barcelona announced that it will be closing its dolphinarium, thanks in large part to the tireless work of campaigners and concerned individuals. Now, the city is considering retirement options for the remaining dolphins.

The question of whether to spend about $10 million USD to revamp the aging facilities, or shut down the dolphinarium entirely, was put to a vote in the city council. Local groups such including FAADA, that ran the AdéuDelfinari campaign, gained support for the idea of closing the facility for good.

Now, the city must decide the fate of the four dolphins who remain at the facility. FAADA and other groups are proposing seaside sanctuary options in order to retire the dolphins indefinitely, allowing them to live in the ocean, in relative privacy, for the rest of their lives. Some of them may eventually be good candidates for release into the wild, although that step would be decided on a case-by-case basis dependent on their progress.

In Defense of Animals supports the retirement of these dolphins to an appropriate sanctuary. Sending the dolphins to another captive facility to continue performing until the day they die would be a cruel option for the dolphins. Other facilities will likely want to breed them and perpetuate the tragedy that is a dolphin’s life in captivity.

The city council will be hearing proposals for the remaining dolphins in the coming months. A decision is anticipated later in the year. We'll continue to monitor this situation closely.