Several of the world's largest animal welfare organizations gathered outside TUI's headquarters to highlight the suffering of dolphins in captivity.

World Animal Protection, Jane Goodall Institute, PETA, Whale & Dolphin Conservation, Born Free Foundation, GAIA and several organizations are calling on travel giant TUI Group to stop promoting and selling tickets for entertainment with captive dolphins.

Roger Pettersson, Secretary General of World Animal Protection Sweden, says:

“Today we are here to show TUI Group that there is massive support for them to stop marketing and selling tickets for dolphin entertainment. All modern research shows that dolphins suffer in captivity. We represent 15 animal organizations and over 350,000 people who have signed our petition to make TUI keep up with the times. The show can't go on.”

Dolphins are highly intelligent, powerful predators that swim and hunt in the ocean. Bottlenose dolphins can swim 100 kilometers in a day, other species even further. But in a small, bare pool, they can only swim a few meters at a time. The stress and anxiety this creates can lead them to hurt themselves or become aggressive.

The participating organizations have been trying for several years to convince TUI Group to follow the lead of all the travel companies, governments and tourists who say no to entertainment with captive dolphins. A total of 350,000 signatures have been collected from animal lovers.

The major Swedish travel companies Ving and Apollo have been dolphin-friendly for several years. Ving's communications manager Claes Pellvik says:
”"We have removed all excursions to zoos for many years as we believe that wild animals must remain wild and not perform in captivity or be used as entertainment for tourists. In addition to having a policy, we have also started a close collaboration with World Animal Protection to ensure that our excursions meet the standards for the protection of wildlife, and guide our guests to animal-friendly travel experiences.".

Others who have taken a stand for the dolphins:

• In March this year, easyJet holidays announced that they would stop selling tickets to facilities with captive dolphins. A few days later, Jet2holidays followed suit.
• Virgin Holidays, Expedia Group, Booking.com and Airbnb have long committed to not selling tickets to attractions featuring captive dolphins
• Canada, France, Brussels and the Australian state of New South Wales have banned the keeping of dolphins in captivity
• Strict regulations in the UK have meant that dolphins and whales have not been kept in captivity for over 30 years.

These animal organizations are participating in the demonstration:

• World Animal Protection
• POKE
• Whale & Dolphin Conservation
• Born Free Foundation
• Dolphin Project
• World Cetacean Alliance
• WTG
• Pro Wildlife
• Marine Connection
• One Voice
• GAIA
• FAÇADE
• Jane Goodall Institute
• German Animal Welfare Association
• Orca Research Trust

Related links

• TUI fundraising

According to the press release.