Dolphins are Kept in Chlorinated Drinking Water, Say Yerevan Dolphinarium Protestors

“For years, dolphins have been free; today, they are imprisoned and our country is among those countries that continues to keep dolphins imprisoned,” said head of Center of Bird Lovers NGO Silva Adamyan during a protest outside the Nemo dolphinarium in Yerevan.

Adamyan informed journalists that the group has already twice filed a lawsuit: the first was refused, and now they’re waiting for an answer on the second suit.

The environmentalist noted that the conditions for the dolphins in the aquarium are terrible: for one thing, dolphins are used to salt water, she said, while the Nemo dolphinarium is filled with drinking water.

“They add some salt particles, but the water that we drink, we know that it’s chlorinated and it’s impossible to avoid chlorinating the water. For dolphins, a much more basic process begins: over time, they begin to have problems with their teeth, eyes and skin and today we’re unable to conduct independent monitoring in the dolphinarium. We don’t know why the administration doesn’t allow us to conduct monitoring,” she said.

Protestors had prepared different posters with inscriptions such as “Don’t imprison dolphins,” “Save the dolphins” and “Animals have to live in a natural environment.”

Note as well that some residents of nearby buildings were displeased that such protests were taking place as they quite like the dolphinarium, where their children can have a good time by seeing the aquatic animals.