Top or flop?
On Monday, the director of Parc Astérix, in Plailly (Oise), revealed the final closure of his dolphinarium, an attraction still popular with the public, but in the crosshairs of public authorities and animal rights associations.
The decision might sound like good news for animal lovers.
However, this is far enough from being the case.
In question: the gloomy future of the eight cetaceans and five sea lions, destined to join other dolphinariums in Europe.
A solution - the only one for the moment in the absence of the creation of marine sanctuaries - which is not to the taste of C'est enough !, association created in 2015 to fight against the captivity of marine animals, and which regularly demonstrated in front of the Gallic grids.
“This is absolutely not good news!
insists Christine Grandjean, its president.
For the dolphins, it's even awful.
A transfer is very traumatic for these animals: they will be separated and end up with other dolphins that are not necessarily welcoming.
Rumor has it that they will be sent to Spain, where the conditions of captivity are far from being the best… This is not good news for the animal cause either, since we are only shifting the problem.
The only one who can be happy is the park, which is getting rid of a disputed dolphinarium which was costing it dearly, especially in times of Covid.
"
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A paradoxical speech for those who advocate the end of captivity?
" Not at all.
Regarding That's enough !, we never called for the closure.
We advocate banning the breeding of cetaceans in captivity.
This measure is also part of the bill on animal abuse currently being debated in the National Assembly.
Then, we have to wait until the marine sanctuaries being created are ready to welcome animals, which should be the case within seven to eight months, a year maximum.
In the meantime, we would still have preferred them to stay with Asterix.
"
The association That's enough!
calls for a moratorium
In this logic, the association launched a petition on Monday to demand a "moratorium" on dolphinariums.
It has already collected 60,000 signatures in forty-eight hours and is doubling the opening of a pot to finance a marine sanctuary project in Greece.
The tone is less offensive on the side of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which also organized actions in the park.
“For us, it's still good news.
We have been calling for a closure for years, believes Christophe Marie, spokesperson for the FBB.
Afterwards, the scheduled transfer is probably not the best solution.
In the bill to the Assembly, there is the end of reproduction, but also a period of seven years for the sanctuaries to be ready and for the dolphinariums to be organized.
I hope, in accordance with the promises of the Minister for the Ecological Transition, that this law will be passed.
In the meantime, at Parc Astérix, it's not a total victory, but it's going in the right direction.
"
