Moviment Graffitti, Animal Liberation Malta, Association for Abandoned Animals (AAA), Island Sanctuary, Animal Protectors Malta, Nature Trust Malta, Real Animal Rights Foundation (RAR), Extinction Rebellion Malta, Animal Guardians Malta, CSAF, Dolphin Project, Marine Connection UK, MSPCA, Noah’s Ark Sanctuary, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and BICREF are collaborating to demand that the zoo licence of Mediterraneo Marine Park is revoked and ultimately, the park closed.
The organisations said in a statement Saturday that they fail to understand how the government was bold enough to ban animal circuses in 2014 but continues to issue the licence for Mediterraneo to operate under the pretext of a zoo, when clearly the Marine Park offers constant circus-like animal performances. It is unacceptable that the Marine Park is allowed to stay open and operate, despite the fact that the animals in the park are treated like circus animals forced to perform for entertainment and profit, and especially with the news of the deaths of three dolphins, which could have easily been avoided were it not for the negligence shown at the Marine Park.
In reply, the park said that the tragic incident that happened last year which resulted in three dolphins dying was not the result of mistreatment. As confirmed by the authorities that investigated the case, this was a pure accident. After 25 years in operation, "we had one incident where an external diver cleaning the pools used strictly-forbidden lead weights, which intoxicated the water. This was a huge tragedy for the park," it said.
The NGOs said that the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Regulation Division (VRD) concluded that the deaths were "a pure accident", telling the Office of the Commissioner for Animal Welfare that they fell victim to poisoning from lead pellets that entered their tank "presumably from diving equipment gear, abandoned in the sea near the aspiration valves outside the tank", the NGOs said. This claim was contradicted by the Marine Park, which admitted that lead pellets were introduced to the dolphins' tank by a sub-contracted diver and a strictly prohibited backwash procedure caused them to enter the tank.
To make things worse, the Office of the Commissioner for Animal Welfare’s investigation concluded that the VRD's own "fleeting and cursory" investigation was only carried out after the Commissioner's inquiries and countless emails sent, nine months after the dolphins’ deaths. The investigation revealed that the VRD did absolutely nothing in response to the three dolphins' deaths, allowing the Marine Park to "go about its business as usual" up until it was time to conduct the basic inspection necessary to re-issue its licence. It further concluded that “a degree of negligence was involved on more than one occasion,” as attested to by the park’s own statement.
Considering the proven and self-admitted negligence at the park leading to the deaths of these three dolphins, and the objectionable use of these captured animals as entertainment while operating under a misleading zoo licence, we call on the VRD and the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Welfare, Alicia Bugeja Said, to take responsibility, revoke the zoo licence and close the doors of Mediterraneo Marine Park. Additionally, we want an immediate stop to the importation, breeding and exploitation of dolphins that are being held in captivity and to prevent further deaths, abuse, and negligence.
The Maltese authorities should follow the precedent set by their Greek counterparts within the Prefecture of Attica, who revoked the operating licence of the marine mammal facility for dolphins at Attica Zoological Park. In Greece, just as in Malta, the law prohibits all kinds of animal performances, including shows in zoological parks.
Our suggestion is to change this establishment into a rehabilitation centre for aquatic creatures with the location of the park being perfect for this use due to its proximity to the coast, the NGOs said. Malta would have the opportunity to create a foundation of marine animal care, while the remaining dolphins should have the opportunity to be rehoused in a sea pen to live a more natural life and to stop being used and exploited as a form of entertainment.
Our demands should be considered and discussed further with Maltese authorities and cetacean experts, to bring an end to the circus-like performances and mistreatment of wildlife, the NGO said.
In reply, Mediterraneo Marine Park said it wanted to clarify a "number of misconceptions repeated by demonstrators" today:
All five dolphins at Mediterraneo Marine Park are well-fed, given top veterinary treatment and never mistreated. Food deprivation and other forms of cruel training are totally banned and this is a highly regulated sector, which means our process is regularly monitored, the park said.
Capturing dolphins from the wild is a practice that is totally banned in Europe. The only way the park can source dolphins is by breeding them or taking one from another European park through an exchange programme.
The exercises practiced by dolphins at the park are crucial to their wellbeing. Dolphins have evolved in the wild to avoid showing illness or weakness, so it is only through regular contact that our carers can tell if there is something wrong with them. The behaviours we practice belong both to the dolphins’ natural repertoire (different types of swimming, jumping, games, communication and socialization activities) and behaviours that allow the veterinarian to check the health status of the animal (blood sampling, ultrasound scans, biometric measurements, etc).
Thankfully, our efforts helped us save three dolphins who despite also being poisoned by this incident, were able to survive and be nursed back to optimum health. We cooperated with the authorities from day one and have always been true to our legal obligations and willing to improve our processes, the park said.
We understand that there are many people who believe all animals should live in the world with barely any human contact. But the reality is that human actions have for centuries impacted natural habitats to the point that some seas pose an actual danger to dolphins. Our work helps to raise awareness about these magnificent creatures and educate even young children on how best to care for and protect dolphins, the park added.
The park is committed to providing more opportunities for education, research, conservation awareness and providing better access to children with disadvantages who may never be able to see a dolphin except via the park.
Our five dolphins include four which were born in the park (Ninu, Cha, Ulisse and Luqa), and Sol which has been with us for 25 years, the park said. Emptying the tanks would be the ultimate act of cruelty for such animals who are not used to living in the wild. It would be condemning them to a great disadvantage when it comes to finding food or reproducing. It would surely condemn them to attack by other dolphins. At the very least, it would condemn them to assured solitude (being social animals), since outsiders are not welcome in dolphin groups.
Reproduction and longevity are both unmistakable signs of animal welfare at the marine park, in accordance with internationally described standards. The parek said it committed to keep giving our five dolphins an active and enjoyable life while raising awareness about these glorious creatures among hundreds of thousands of visitors.