Environmental authorities seek shut-down for Kyiv's dolphinariums due to violations

KYIV, February 18. /UKRINFORM/. The State Environmental Inspection announced plans to close Kyiv's dolphinariums, UKRINFORM has reported citing Segodnya daily.

The environmental authorities say the dolphinariums are working amid massive violations. “We have sealed up Nemo Dolphinarium, the next on the agenda is Kobzov Dolphinarium,” says environmental official Anatoliy Hahenko.

In his words, the pathetic animals are kept at the 16-meter pools in artificial 'sea' water that is inadmissible.

All dolphins, the inspector added, are planned to be removed to Crimea, since the dolphins are cramped in Kyiv's small rooms.

According to the Internet resource 'Ukraine without Dolphinariums!', the halt of dolphin performances for Kobzov in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk is caused by the death of these animals due to inadmissible housing conditions. Activists with Ukraine's National Ecological Center are searching for additional facts to this effect.

However, despite the plans of the ecological authorities, Nemo Dolphinarium did not cancel the performances. Nemo officials said everything is OK with their documents and animals, but they had already brought an action.

Director of Kobzov Dolphnarium Mykola Kobzov said he was surprised over the plans to shut down Kobzov.

Environmentalists say all types of dolphins are in Ukraine's Red List. According to the legislation in force, a commercial use of dolphins is prohibited.

In 2009 the National Ecological Center asked the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) to shut down Kyiv's Nemo Dolphinarium and dismantle its building.

Back to news