Bite Back campaigns in Bruges against dolphinariums

Empty all basins!

‘Empty The Tanks’ or ’empty all basins’: it is a command to policy makers worldwide. Animal rights organizations thus draw attention to the suffering of dolphins and other marine mammals in captivity, and demand that a ban on dolphinariums be enshrined in law.

Bite Back has been fighting for more than ten years in Belgium for a law that prevents the keeping of these intelligent, sensitive animals. Last year the action continued in Brussels, where the activists directly addressed the policy of Minister Weyts. This year Empty The Tanks will return to Bruges. That is the place where there are still eight dolphins weekly as entertainment in a dolphin show.

Activists of the organization have given information to passers-by in the heart of Bruges, and with banners and placards they have drawn attention to the dolphins that are locked up a few kilometers away. After a march through the streets of Bruges center, the group stopped at the gate of the dolphinarium itself. Bite Back: “Here too we handed out informative flyers, because many visitors have no idea of ​​the suffering that can be found behind the facade of a dolphin show. Our action therefore primarily looks at the policy, which should prohibit such commercial practices on the felling of animals.”

It is clear that there are more and more voices for ending dolphinariums. Bite Back, for example, collected more than 11,000 signatures via a petition at the end of last year, and several countries have already banned it. However, the Boudewijn Seapark has been stating for years that ‘the welfare of the animals takes precedence in the dolphinarium’. According to Bite Back, this is a contradiction in terms. “Dolphins can never lead an enjoyable and stress-free life in an environment that resembles their natural habitat in so few ways. We have no doubt that the keepers want the best for the dolphins, but several scientific sources indicate that the animals experience constant stress and boredom in captivity. Good care cannot change that.”

According to the activists, the fact that no major disasters have yet happened in Bruges involving dolphins, trainers or visitors is the exception rather than the rule. Accidents during training or shows are commonplace in dolphinariums, where the animals are forced to do tricks and have to match with peers in a small area.

With the action in Bruges, the activists once again point in the direction of the Animal Welfare Cabinet of Minister Ben Weyts. The minister himself says, however, that he has been won over for years in favor of an extinction policy for the dolphinarium. In 2019, he stated in the Flemish Parliament that “we have evolved in terms of animal welfare, including dolphins. I believe in a extinction scenario.” With this statement, Minister Weyts links up with a broader international trend: Canada, France and Norway have put an end to keeping dolphins in captivity in recent years.

Four years later, however, no decision has been made. However, investigations were carried out in the Seapark and a report was drawn up. A decision would be made on that basis before the summer recess. The minister himself stated this in a meeting of the animal welfare committee in March. Bite Back sees only an acceptable outcome: “The only correct decision in this matter is a Flemish ban on keeping dolphins, as already exists in Brussels and Wallonia, and in many other countries. Animal welfare policy is failing. We saw this a few weeks ago in the images that were made in Flemish veal farms, and we have seen this for years in the lack of action at this dolphinarium. How does Minister Weyts plan to solve structural problems in the industry if closing a single dolphinarium fails?”