Dolphin deaths in Turkey raise doubts about animals' living conditions

The death of four dolphins held in captivity in a dolphinarium in the Mediterranean resort town of Alanya has fueled protests about the living conditions of the animals.

Four of the 11 dolphins at Sealanya Dolphin Park died due to unknown causes between Feb. 6 and 14, according to data obtained from officials at the facility. The dolphins, all imported from Japan, have been used in shows at the park for the past two and a half years.

Both local authorities and experts from the Konya Forensic Medicine Institution performed an autopsy on the dolphins and took samples from the animals’ food and pool water. The results are expected at the end of next week.

“These dolphins do not live in nature, rather they are the private property of the company running the Sealanya Dolphin Park,” said Bedrullah Erçin, the Antalya provincial agricultural director. “If any neglect or intention is detected as a result of the autopsy, we and the legal bodies will definitely do what is necessary.”

Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, an official at Sealanya Dolphin Park said the facility had promptly supplied the Ministry of Agriculture and the Alanya Agricultural Directorate with the necessary information after the death of the dolphins.

“No unfavorable condition has been detected according to the initial results of the tests made on the food and water samples,” the official said, adding that the precise results on the deaths will be revealed soon once laboratory tests conducted in the regional laboratories are completed.

The health conditions of the remaining seven dolphins at the park are satisfactory, the official said, adding that the facility is accredited by the authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Antalya local bodies and complies with all relevant rules and regulations.

‘They died psychologically while heading for Turkey’

Local and international animal rights groups do not believe that the conditions the dolphins were kept in could have been satisfactory.

Keeping dolphins in captivity and intentionally using them as an entertainment tool is unacceptable for any conscious and conscientious member of society, said Ayten Durmaz, a member of the Animal Protection Association.

“They are a part of natural life, not the private property of any person or institution,” she said.

Agreeing with Durmaz, lawyer Ahmet Kemal Şenpolat, the head of the Animal Rights Federation, said the dolphins died psychologically when they were torn from their mothers and the oceans and taken to Turkey to be forced to entertain people.

Many countries in the European Union have already restricted such parks and animal centers, Şenpolat said, adding that his group strongly opposes to the use of dolphins, which have the right to live in their natural environment and reproduce freely, for commercial purposes.

The deaths have also caused an international reaction, with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, a leading international charity working for the worldwide conservation and welfare of whales, dolphins and porpoises, asking the Turkish government to take immediate action.

“The news about the deaths of four dolphins at Sealanya Dolphinarium in Alanya is an absolute tragedy for the animals involved,” read the WDCS statement emailed to the Daily News.

“These dolphins were captured in the brutal hunts in Japan, which have been brought to the attention of the world’s public by the Oscar-nominated documentary ‘The Cove,’” the statement said. “They were then transported thousands of miles to be confined for the remainder of their short lives in captivity for public display and interaction programs, never again to see their natural home and the families they were torn from. The government should investigate these deaths and introduce strict legislation to protect the dozens of other dolphins and small whales held in captivity throughout Turkey.”

This is not the first time the conditions of dolphin parks in Turkey have caused debate. Last November, a leading European tour operator, TUI, canceled daily trips to two aqua parks in Antalya, citing poor physical conditions and shortcomings according to international standards.

In the wake of the recent dolphin deaths, Antalya hosted the 2nd Dolphinarium Meeting on Wednesday.

Speaking at the meeting about the poor conditions of animal parks in Turkey, Ayaka Amaha Öztürk, an academic at Istanbul University’s Aquaculture Faculty, said there are 11 dolphinariums in Turkey but the number of dolphin experts is quite limited.