PAN wants an end to dolphin shows and placing the animals in marine sanctuaries – Politics

The PAN spokesperson and the head of the European list joined a demonstration this Saturday, outside the Lisbon Zoo, calling for an end to dolphin shows and the transition of dolphinariums to marine sanctuaries.

Last week, the PAN already submitted to parliament a draft resolution that recommends to the Government the conversion of dolphinariums, the creation of centers for the conservation and recovery of species and sanctuaries.

“We want to ensure that in Portugal sanctuaries are built in natural marine areas so that dolphins that have lived here in captivity for several decades can be placed on the high seas in a controlled, monitored area, which allows a transition to a model of greater respect for animal life”, explained Inês Sousa Real, speaking to journalists.

The PAN spokeswoman highlighted that dolphins that live in dolphinariums (which are estimated to be 35 in Portugal, eight of which are in the zoo) live “in small, often overcrowded spaces”.

“PAN defends zoos of the 21st century, following the challenge of civil society”, he stated.

Asked if she had already received “feedback” from the Government on these matters, Inês Sousa Real regretted that animal protection, under the current Government, is once again under the umbrella of agriculture.

“We want to ensure that there is no setback in terms of animal welfare. People are increasingly concerned about animal welfare and we want to ensure that, at Government level, there is this awareness”, he said.

The PAN’s number one to the Europeans, Pedro Fidalgo Marques, also considered that at European level “it is possible to guarantee that the implementation of the directive on zoos is effective in Portugal” and that dolphinariums can be banned.

The two PAN leaders joined the demonstration organized by the “Empty the tanks” association, which brought together a few dozen people who held signs that read “Circus captivity is not a solution” and shouted slogans such as “30 minutes of fun, a life in prison”, distributing leaflets to people entering the Lisbon Zoo.

The movement explains that it is not asking for “the immediate release of dolphins or the unemployment of employees” who work with them, but “the transition from a model of circus exploitation in a dolphinarium to a model of rehabilitation in a nature sanctuary”, saying that this is a model tested “with great success in nine countries”.

In the draft resolution (without the force of law), the PAN refers to scientific studies that “reveal that wild animals kept in captivity suffer several adverse consequences in their behavior and health”.

The PAN recommends that the Government “promote and execute programs for the conversion of dolphinariums and oceanariums, located in national territory, in centers for the conservation, recovery and observation of species, without any recreational component” and “implement, within the scope of the conversion programs and in collaboration with experts and non-governmental nature conservation and animal protection organizations”, the transition of spaces and the creation of natural sanctuaries.

The PAN also asks for the necessary resources to implement the conversion programs, and for the Government to promote public awareness about the negative impacts of wild animal captivity and the benefits of the conversion of dolphinariums and oceanariums and to establish deadlines and targets for the implementation of reconversion programs.