Phuket (Thailand) – July 1, 2015 – The Executive Committee of SKAL International Phuket & Southern Thailand and SKAL members are protesting the opening of a dolphinarium in Phuket and are calling on all SKAL members and non-members from all sectors in Phuket to join the protest against this project. SKAL International Phuket & Southern Thailand firmly believes that keeping dolphins in captivity can be misleading. Educational content is overshadowed by entertainment in circus-like shows and close encounters, where the visitors' desire for interaction seems to override any educational benefit and serves purely commercial purposes.

Dolphins are highly intelligent, free-living carnivores that suffer greatly from the effects of captivity, resulting in stress, reproductive problems, premature death, and behavioral problems that can lead to aggression among themselves and towards humans.

Currently, wild dolphins are being captured in Japanese, Solomon, Cuban, and Russian waters. These captures are a major concern for scientists, and none of these countries can issue a certificate of no adverse impact on the export of captured animals, as required by the CITES Convention (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). In Japan, particularly in the fishing village of Taijin, dolphins are driven ashore—a particularly cruel hunting method in which pods of dolphins are herded together at sea and brought to the beach. There, some animals are selected for aquariums, while the rest are slaughtered for meat.

Furthermore, the import of dolphins into the European Union for predominantly commercial purposes is prohibited under the EU's CITES Convention. A dolphinarium, which publicly displays animals and charges admission, constitutes such a predominantly commercial purpose. In such an environment, dolphins are forced to interact with species and individuals they would normally avoid in the wild. This can lead to stomach ulcers and other illnesses, and cause stress, discomfort, boredom, a weakened immune system, and premature death. It can also provoke aggression between the animals, often resulting in injury and death. Such aggression can also occur between dolphins and human visitors or trainers. Keeping dolphins in captivity cannot meet their mental, physical, and social needs and does not reflect their natural behavior, complex lives, or natural habitat.

Despite the perceived comfort of captivity and the provision of food and veterinary care, many dolphins, including those born in captivity, die long before their counterparts in the wild. Since captive dolphin populations worldwide remain unsustainable, importing dolphins from another dolphinarium could very well lead to further captures to replenish the exporting dolphinarium's stock.

This is an outrage and an unnecessary attraction for Phuket. Tourists come for the beauty of Thailand, a country rich in natural biodiversity, and by allowing this project, Phuket is taking a step backward.

Skal International Phuket & Southern Thailand wishes to publicly condemn this project and strongly protests against the opening of a dolphinarium in Phuket.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, Richard Mehr PR & Marketing Skål International Phuket & Southern Thailand