For Immediate Release:
9 September 2003

Contact:
Bijal Vachharajani (0) 98201 22602; BijalV@petaindia.org

Chennai – Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Zoocheck Canada, along with chanting students from Chinmaya Vidyalaya, holding signs reading, ‘Save Keily, Ash and Boo’, will protest outside the illegal establishment Dolphin City, demanding its closure. In 1998, three bottle-nosed dolphins from Bulgaria and eight sea lions from California were imported to Dolphin City, and in the short span of three months, all three dolphins and five of the sea lions died. Subsequently, Dolphin City’s license was cancelled by the Central Zoo Authority, yet its tawdry show remains operational, and animal protectionists want to change that.

PETA and Zoocheck are protesting because this park operates illegally, forcing intelligent, normally free-swimming animals to perform stupid tricks, all without the mandatory license from the Central Zoo Authority or even a license under the Performing Animals Registration Rules 2001, pursuant to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.

Currently, this facility confines three sea lions to captivity. Sea lions are highly intelligent and wonderful creatures, but at Dolphin city, they are reduced to little more than clowns, living in a poor environment and forced to put on a show which serves no educational or conservation purpose. To make them do stupid tricks, the sea lions are deprived of food at all times except during the shows. This cruel ‘carrot-and-stick’ method ensures that the animals perform absurd and unnatural antics obediently, in order to be fed dead fish during the act. This is clearly exploitation of an animal’s basic needs for selfish purposes.

Animal-protection groups are encouraging Dolphin City to retire the sea lions to a sanctuary or release them into their native habitats.

For more information please visit www.PETAIndia.com.