Another captive dolphin advertisement pulled down

A large 10x15 metre mural was painted in the Melbourne CBD.

Disappointingly, Village Roadshow – the owners of Sea World  – demanded it be removed, and the mural was painted over only days after being completed.

But this won’t stop our supporters from being a voice for captive dolphins.

Up to 50 years in captivity is no life at all for intelligent, social dolphins. By calling for an end to captive dolphin breeding, we can make this the last generation of dolphins kept captive to entertain tourists. 

Not the first-time animal welfare has been silenced 

Late last year, multiple billboards on the Gold Coast, educating passers-by on the suffering of captive dolphins, were taken down.  

At the time we couldn’t confirm why, however media reports indicated that JCDecaux was approached by Village Roadshow to complain about billboards and they were subsequently taken down.  

We continue to request meetings with Village Roadshow and until we are successful we will pursue our public-facing campaign.

The tide has turned against captive dolphin entertainment 

Major travel brands like TripAdvisor, Virgin Holidays, British Airways Holidays and Booking.com have already committed to stop selling tickets to captive dolphin shows and encounters. 

As well as changes from the travel industry, earlier this year, Canada passed a ban on keeping dolphins, whales and porpoises for entertainment and in September France banned captive dolphin breeding.  

The only other captive dolphin venue in Australia – Dolphin Marine Conservation Park in Coffs Harbour – has stopped breeding and is working with World Animal Protection and Action for Dolphins on a sea sanctuary for its dolphins.

There is a global movement towards better treatment of dolphins, which includes the nations of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. 

More than 22,000 people from Australia and New Zealand signed our petition calling on the Queensland Government to ban captive breeding in Queensland and begin work on a sea sanctuary for the dolphins who cannot be released into the wild. 

Together, we can make this the last generation of dolphins kept captive to entertain tourists. 

Together, we can make this the last generation of dolphins kept captive to entertain tourists.