As plans for dolphin park in Danang, Vietnam hang in the balance, Animals Asia is reminding city leaders - there is no such thing as an “eco” dolphinarium.

While plans to build a dolphin park in Danang are currently on hold - there are suggestions the investor has been told to emphasise eco credentials in order to win local authority approval.

Because while local authorities had been shocked by international condemnation, having been deluged with letters from animal lovers and with 16,000 people signing a petition against the project – it’s believed there are still those pushing for the dolphin park plans to go ahead.

Animals Asia understands that the Russian investor Utrish Dolphinarium Company Ltd has been asked for assurances that there would be no negative implications if the dolphinarium was built.

The request came in a meeting with Danang’s People’s Committee who voiced the environmental and animal welfare concerns of people locally and internationally.

However, with the possibility of a dolphinarium being given the green light in Danang - any future decision would take place against a backdrop of surging local interest in the environment and Vietnam’s seas in particular.

With millions of dead fish washing up on beaches in Quang Binh in Central Vietnam in the last month, Danang’s leaders even took the unprecedented step recently of going swimming to prove the safety of their own beaches - amid fears that tourist numbers would drop.

Animals Asia Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale said:

“Danang is seeking assurances that it will not be embarrassed in the future if they give the go-ahead. They want it to be a net tourism gain not a loss. We can absolutely guarantee that there is nothing sustainable about animal cruelty and any decision to go ahead would surely haunt Danang in the future. Vietnam has shown that it is waking up to the damage to its own environment and that includes its oceans, pollution, animal conservation and animal welfare.

“There is not a marine park in the world that does not claim that it has some kind of educational mission. No one more so than Seaworld which has seen a sharp decline in attendance and stock price as a result of increased awareness of the inherent cruelty involved in marine animal captivity. This is a business in decline - meanwhile, there is nothing sustainable, nothing ‘eco’ in animal cruelty. People are tiring of nature being seen as an asset to be exploited.

“These past few weeks have shown that the future has to be greener for Vietnam. Few Vietnamese cities have greater green credentials than Danang and now is not the time to deviate from that. Now is not the time to risk long-term reputation damage in return for short-term investment.”

Having raised the alarm - Animals Asia was joined by 199 animal charities (now 204) as a petition was launched against plans to build a dolphinarium in Danang, Vietnam.

In an initial statement opposing the marine park, Dave Neale said in October 2015:

“There’s an ever-increasing body of research that shows capturing dolphins from the wild is cruel and causes a significant amount of suffering. Keeping dolphins and other cetaceans in captivity is harmful to them and increasingly it’s something that people don’t want to be a part of.

“The last place we expected such a facility in Vietnam was Danang. We believe Danang’s reputation as a modern city would be at risk if this plan was to go ahead. Increasingly countries are turning their back on keeping marine mammals this way. It would be suicidal for Danang - effectively ending any attempt to market the city as an eco-friendly location.

“The awareness created by Blackfish has created increased bad publicity for SeaWorld and other venues that keep marine mammals captive. It has meant people turning their backs on this attraction. City leaders can point to this as inward investment but at what cost? What would this cruelty say about Danang – a city that has said it intends to expand with the environment in mind? Aren’t dolphinariums a little too old-fashioned for Danang? We ask city leaders to think again and say no to these plans. Danang’s reputation and future should not be signed away so cheaply.”

The campaign has also featured prominently in Vietnam’s state media.

 

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