Olivia Mandle, a 16-year-old activist widely considered ‘Spanish Greta Thunberg’, went to the Congress of Deputies this Thursday. 150,000 signatures he collected to demand the ban of dolphin captivity in Spain.
Olivia Mandle started her “Not a country for dolphins” campaign two years ago after confirming that Spain is a country for dolphins, as reported by the World Animal Protection organization in a statement this Wednesday. It is the European country with the highest number of marine mammals in captivity: There are more than a hundred dolphins and orcas in captivity, and a third of the continent’s dolphinariums.
The Barcelona activist, who fights for animal rights and is the European Commission’s ambassador to the “European Climate Pact”, received the support of thousands of Spanish citizens, as well as thousands of Spanish citizens who signed the petition on the Change.org platform. many scientists from around the world.
New law “put them aside”
“The last Animal Welfare Act passed by Congress in March 2023 put dolphins aside.. That’s why we’re going to Congress tomorrow to ask lawmakers to outlaw and replace the captivity capture and breeding of marine mammals. “We want the current generation to be the last generation of marine mammals to be imprisoned in Spain,” Mandle said.
“Unfortunately, Spain is the European champion in cruelty to dolphins. With over 100 cetaceans in captivityThe head of the ‘World Animal Protection’ campaigns in Spain said Spain is the country with the most captivity examples in Europe and one of the first countries in captivity for dolphins worldwide, behind only countries like China, the United States and Russia. , Sandra Campinas.
“Also in Spain We own a third of the dolphin parks on the European continent. We want to stop the suffering of these highly intelligent creatures that need to enjoy their natural habitat. Dolphins are highly intelligent and social animals that suffer a lot in captivity,” added Campinas.
“There are now 100 captive dolphins in Spain, each spends up to fifty years suffering for the sake of human amusement. In a tank that is on average 200,000 times smaller than a dolphin’s natural range of distribution in the wild, Campinas notes, and never comes close to the richness of ocean life. This must be the last generation of dolphins to suffer this way.”
‘World Animal Protection’ has been campaigning around the world for decades to end animal suffering and will join Olivia Mandle this Thursday to demand that Spain follow the example of many countries that have already banned cetacean displays.
France passed a law against animal abuse in 2021, and Canada passed the “Free Willy Act” in 2019.ensures that the current generation of marine mammals will be the last to live in captivity.
Mexican It is taking steps in the same direction in the legislative field. Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Nicaragua, Slovenia or Switzerlandplaces where the display of marine mammals is prohibited.
Inside Brazil and the United KingdomThe legal requirements for keeping marine mammals in captivity are so demanding that it is practically impossible to do so.
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Contact details of the environment department: [email protected]