Belgium has become the seventh country globally and the fourth in Europe to permanently ban dolphinariums, marking a significant step forward for Animal rights advocates.
This decision follows decades of persistent efforts by GAIA, an organization dedicated to ending the captivity of dolphins and other marine animals.
Flanders, the final Belgian region to allow dolphinariums, has now joined Brussels and Wallonia in prohibiting the practice. Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare, Ben Weyts, confirmed the new legislation, calling it both “permanent and irreversible.”
The Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges, home to Belgium‘s last dolphinarium, must cease operations entirely by 2037, though efforts are underway to expedite the closure.
GAIA has proposed relocating the park’s remaining dolphins to sanctuaries designed to provide semi-natural environments. One potential site is a sanctuary planned on Lipsi, a Greek island.
These sanctuaries aim to offer more humane living conditions for dolphins, allowing them to engage in behaviors closer to those they exhibit in the wild.
Dolphins, known for their remarkable intelligence and social nature, suffer immensely in captivity.
Confined to small pools, they are unable to swim vast distances or dive to the depths they naturally would in the ocean.
Captivity often leads to significant stress and unnatural behaviors, further highlighting the ethical concerns of keeping these animals in confined spaces for entertainment.
Belgium now stands alongside countries such as India, Costa Rica, and Chile in banning dolphin captivity.
This article by Trinity Sparke was first published by One Green Planet on 23 November 2024. Image Credit :Nicolas-SB/Shutterstock.
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