Dolphinaris Shamed as Desert Disaster for Dolphins

10 Worst Tanks List for Dolphins and Whales Announced

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CONTACT: Toni Frohoff, Ph.D., toni@idausa.org, (805) 836-0496

Scottsdale, AZ (July 20, 2016) – International animal protection organization, In Defense of Animals, today released its list of the Ten Worst Tanks for Dolphins and Whales in North America, with Dolphinaris currently under construction near Scottsdale shamed with a dishonorable mention as a “desert disaster for dolphins”.

The Ten Worst Tanks list exposes and represents the misery and suffering of the oceans’ most intelligent and complex mammals in captivity. Whales and dolphins are subject to astonishing rates of premature death, captivity-related injuries, forced removal of babies from mothers, and solitary isolation. Many are confined to swimming endless circles in cramped tanks, deprived of healthy social groups, and forced to endure invasive reproduction techniques, polluted water, dangerous transport, and brutal exploitation of their sociable natures through “swim” and “petting” programs.

The list was selected from over 60 facilities from southern Canada to Mexico where almost 1,000 whales and dolphins are held captive for public display.

“Dolphinaris will be a desert disaster, plumbing the depths in exploitation of intelligent and sensitive animals,” said In Defense of Animals President, Dr. Marilyn Kroplick. “Even with the most modern technology, veterinary care, and infrastructure, cetaceans still suffer intensely in captivity and exhibit surprisingly high mortality rates. Please help protect dolphins and whales in the wild where they belong, by pledging to never visit facilities that imprison them.”

Dolphinaris’ Shame

The new facility is currently being constructed in Arizona’s desert is set to open in late 2016. “Dolphinaris”, operated by Mexico-based Ventura Entertainment, will be a swim-with-dolphin facility, charging visitors to jump in the water with bottlenose dolphins, placing animals and humans at risk of injury, illness and stress. Ventura currently owns five other dolphinaria in Mexico and this new development represents its effort to expand into the U.S. Dolphinaris is being constructed on the Salt River Reservation near Scottsdale, and will be a tenant of the nearby OdySea Aquarium, a facility that previously denied that dolphins would appear in the aquarium due to controversy about captive cetaceans and size constraints.

Dolphinaris, on the other hand, seems enthusiastic about cetacean captivity. General Manager Grey Stafford even appeared on camera to publicly reveal his ignorance of cetacean needs by equating his desert tanks with the biodiverse habitat of the Gulf of California. Stafford boasts that the facility will hold between 8 and 12 dolphins; where they will be flown and trucked in from remains a mystery. The facility may also breed dolphins for additional profits – ignoring the fact that dolphins do not belong in the desert, and that the area is in a hotspot for valley fever: a fungal infection caused by contaminated agricultural dust that could easily drift into the dolphin tank. Local opposition has been steadily building – protesters gathered in early May 2016, and a petition has garnered over 148,000 signatures and continues to grow.

10 WORST TANKS:

1. SeaWorld, San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; Orlando, Florida
2. Marineland, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
3. Puerto Aventuras Dolphin Discovery, Mayan Riviera, Quinta Roo, Mexico
4. Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia
5. Miami Seaquarium, Miami, Florida
6. Six Flags Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
7. Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, Mississippi and Unnamed new facility planned by same owner also in Gulfport, Mississippi
8. Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
10. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois

Dishonorable Mention:
Dophinaris, Scottsdale, Arizona

Honorable Mention:
National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland

### NOTES ###

The Ten Worst Tanks list was produced over the past year by multiple cetacean experts and scientists to represent the myriad horrors faced by cetaceans in captivity. Facilities were examined and investigated in-person; through review of government records, veterinary records, and death reports; and via image and data documentation.

In Defense of Animals also produces the respected Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants List, now in its twelfth year: http://www.idausa.org/2015tenworstzoos

For more information please visit: www.idausa.org/10WorstTanks

### ENDS ###

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization located in San Rafael, Calif. dedicated to protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats through education, outreach, and our hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi.

IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS • 3010 KERNER BLVD. • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 • 415-448-0048