Born Free calls on TUI to stop supporting dolphin exploitation

Born Free has long called for an end to the cruel exploitation of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in dolphinaria, where they are confined in tiny concrete tanks and forced to perform demeaning tricks to entertain the public.  

Our ‘Into the Blue’ campaign led to the closure of the last dolphinaria in the UK, which has remained captive dolphin free since 1993. We also successfully rehabilitated the last three captive bottlenose dolphins in the UK – Missie and Silver from Brighton Dolphinarium, and Rocky from Morecambe Marineland – and returned them to the wild. 

Sadly, at least 3,600 cetaceans continue to be exploited, including more than 300 in Europe, in around 340 captive facilities worldwide. As a founding member of the Dolphinaria-Free Europe coalition, Born Free continues to campaign to end their suffering. Our ‘Tank Free’ campaign aims to raise awareness about the plight of captive whales, dolphins, and porpoises, to appeal to members of the travelling public not to buy tickets for dolphinaria or associated ‘swim-with’ experiences, and for tour operators and travel companies to stop selling and promoting these cruel forms of exploitation. 

While many travel firms have ended their promotion of dolphin shows and interactive activities, one major player, TUI, is stubbornly holding out, and continues to include dolphinaria among the ‘experiences’ it offers to its customers. 

Born Free has partnered with a number of organisations to expose TUI’s support for dolphin exploitation and to persuade them to stop. 

In an effort to put pressure on TUI, several events have been organised in recent months. Born Free is supporting the latest protest, coordinated by our colleagues at World Animal Protection, which took place today in Hanover, Germany – the location of TUI’s headquarters. 

The event, which is supported by 20 animal protection NGOs from across Europe, saw two trucks and poster bikes drive around Hanover displaying a video of a captive dolphin and hard-hitting messaging calling for TUI to stop the sale of dolphin shows. A life-size fake orca was also part of the convoy and protest and was delivered to TUI’s office on a stretcher.   

Commenting on the latest campaign effort, Born Free’s Head of Policy, Dr Mark Jones, said:  

“Dolphinaria are among the cruellest of captive animal attractions. By continuing to promote visits to captive cetacean venues to their customers, TUI is complicit in the suffering of highly intelligent and social animals for the sake of entertainment and profit. We call on TUI to do the right thing by removing these venues from their travel offering.” 

Born Free recently participated in the development and launch of a video, jointly created alongside Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Marine Connection, World Animal Protection, the Dolphin Project, and PETA, calling on the public not to book with TUI until they stop promoting cetacean cruelty. You can view the video below.  

Find out more about our Tank Free campaign.