Shut Down The Connyland Dolphinarium

I've written about dolphins in the past. They're one of my favorite animals because of their grace and intelligence. I wrote about a documentary called The Cove that I saw a few years ago on the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Now I have another tragic story to tell you about dolphins at a dolphinarium in Switzerland.\

It seems the Connyland themepark in Switzerland allowed a two-day rave to take place just a few yards from the dolphin tank. As a result, two dolphins are dead. They died an agnonizing, drawn-out death, all due to humans who wanted to make money by allowing the rave to take place. Veterinarians say their deaths were likely caused by the ear-splitting music of the rave and drugs that ravers threw into the dolphins' tank.

Eight dolphins have died at Connyland in the past three years, and a 2010 investigation into alleged violations of Swiss animal welfare laws at Connyland is still pending. Meanwhile, the health of the remaining dolphins is deterioriating rapidly. This is due to illness and chemical poisoning, as well as claustrophobia that results in depressive behavior and sometimes self abuse.

The good news is that a global outcry over the disaster is fueling the longstanding domestic movement to get Connyland's dolphin tank-the last dolphinarium in Switzerland-shut down. Hopefully Swiss officials won't ignore the public outcry over this gross violation of animal welfare. They know that the world is watching, and they are expected to do the right thing.

Enclosing dolphins in small tanks is inhumane. These are intelligent beings that have feelings and a strong social order. Many of you are probably thinking that I'm being silly. They're only animals. They're meant to be free in the ocean, in their pods, not cooped up in a tank, dancing for our entertainment. I feel confident that Connyland will do the right thing, and shut down the last remaining dolphinarium in Switzerland. Unfortunately there are hundreds more throughout the world that remain, many of them right here in America.