Epress.am News from Armenia
The opening of the new “dolphinarium” (an aquarium with mainly dolphins) at Komitas Park in Yerevan today was accompanied by the protests of environmental activists. A large number of protesters had already gathered at the park around 2:30 pm today, many holding signs with statements such as “Don’t kill the dolphins,” “Dolphins are not a means of entertainment,” “Don’t imprison dolphins,” and “Free the dolphins!”
Speaking to Epress.am, Greens’ Union of Armenia NGO President Armenak Dovlatyan noted that the purpose of their demonstration is to show that authorities are acting unlawfully.
“We even have information that the Ukrainian company that is financing the opening of the dolphinarium in Armenia is engaged in unlawful activities in their country, in Ukraine,” he said. According to Dovlatyan, environmentalists are planning on suing the Ukrainian company.
Activists have also appealed to Yerevan City Hall for an explanation, noting that the dolphinarium doesn’t meet the required standards of keeping dolphins, but they have not yet received a reply.
A member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia who wished to remain anonymous told Epress.am he came to take part in the dolphinarium’s opening, but he could not provide an opinion at the moment “because [he] hasn’t seen the dolphinarium from the inside.”
He expressed willingness to join protesters if he became convinced that conditions were substandard.
At around 3 pm, Yerevan’s Deputy Mayor Kamo Areyan approached the dolphinarium, but didn’t want to respond to journalists’ questions. Demonstrators greeted him by using whistles and chanting.
Note that police were on duty in the area around the dolphinarium.