NSW Passes Monumental Regulations Protecting Dolphins!

After a government inquiry and a long public consultation – in which many PETA supporters took part – new regulations have been introduced in New South Wales to prevent the breeding of captive dolphins in the state!

To celebrate, we joined Dolphin Freedom Fighters in raising a glass to the news in front of Dolphin Marine Conservation Park – formerly Dolphin marine Magic – in Coffs Harbour.

This is fantastic progress for these individuals, who are wild animals and not entertainers.

In nature, dolphins swim up to 100 kilometres a day with their family pods, diving and riding the waves. They are acoustically oriented – using clicks, whistles, and echolocation to perceive their surroundings. They’re unsuited to life in captivity, where they can only swim a few metres and the reverberations from their sonar bounce off the walls of enclosures, confusing and disorientating them.

While NSW-based Dolphin Marine Conservation Park continues to explore the idea of establishing a seaside sanctuaryf or its existing residents – Zippy, Bella, and Jet – this new rule means that no new dolphinariums can set up business in the area. These three dolphins will be the last to have to perform for noisy crowds in the state.

NSW joins the ranks of various countries that have stood up against dolphin captivity – including Brazil, Canada, France, India, Mexico, Norway, and Switzerland.

Now, everybody’s eyes are on Queensland, where just over the border, Sea World continues to breed dolphins, parade them about in daily shows, and launch trainers off their sensitive rostrums out of the water.

Will you please join us in urging the Queensland government to follow NSW’s lead?

Take Action for Dolphins!