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France’s Asterix park to shut down dolphin show
PARIS, Jan 25, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – A major amusement park in northern France
said on Monday it would close its dolphin and sea lion aquarium, the day
before lawmakers start to debate new animal welfare rules.
The dolphin shows are a popular attraction at Parc Asterix, which normally
has some two million visitors a year, but have long been a target of animal
rights activists.
“We’ve been thinking about this for several years,” the park’s managing
director Nicolas Kremer told Le Parisien newspaper, saying the site wanted to
focus instead on rides and other shows.
He said the dolphins would be transferred to other aquariums in Europe in
the next two months, adding: “Reintroduction in a natural environment is not
possible for these animals raised in captivity.”
A ban on captive breeding of dolphins and other marine mammals as well as
their use in shows is a key part of the draft law, with the debate due to
begin on Tuesday.
A previous effort to outlaw the practices by decree in 2017 was thrown out
by the Council of State, France’s highest administrative court, but animal
rights group have kept up pressure for the ban.
“These associations think that captivity is abuse, but I can tell you that
we have always ensured the wellbeing of our animals,” Kremer said.
The park, based on the beloved Asterix the Gaul comics, is hoping to reopen
for the busy summer season on April 3 if coronavirus restrictions are lifted
by then.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1812 hrs