Muscat intends to use a percentage of profits from her dolphin retreats in Egypt to go towards the NGO and its work in helping protect dolphins in Malta. Her next free diving and sailing retreats in the Red Sea will be held in November of this year.

She’ll also be helping with banners and billboards aimed at raising awareness “on the poor conditions and deaths that arise from the park currently, promoting the idea of moving these dolphins to a sanctuary and eliminating the introduction of new wild dolphins into captivity”.

“Countries around the world have banned or are phasing out the public display of captive dolphins and as a proud citizen of Malta, it is my sincere hope that the authorities work towards ending the keeping of dolphins at Mediterraneo and consider the option of placing them in a sanctuary. By doing this, Malta will be seen as a compassionate country with regards to animal welfare,” Muscat said.

Three female dolphins died at the facility in recent years due to lead poisoning and concerns have been voiced over the conditions of the tanks, which appear to have deteriorated badly.

However, the Veterinary Regulation Directorate (VRD) claims the water quality is ‘adequate’ for the dolphins to be in, allowing this to continue, the NGO said. Marine Connection also requested visibility of the results of this independent test, however to date VRD has not responded to, or acknowledged, this request.

The NGO intends to raise public awareness and emphasise that this park should not continue to operate as a zoo. They’d specifically like to set up a billboard advert near the dolphinarium but will have to raise some €2,500 to do so.

“Public pressure and media exposure are vital to ensuring that the authorities act within the law and revoke this licence,” Marine Connection co-founder Liz Sandeman told Lovin Malta.

Sandeman explained that the NGO became aware of the situation in Malta by someone who was in the adjacent water park and was disturbed to learn there were dolphins in there, as the conditions of the pools were so bad.

“Although UK-based, we work globally to end the suffering of dolphins and whales in captivity on public display and are often contacted by members of the public who are on holiday and are concerned about conditions in marine parks. As an organisation concerned with the welfare of dolphins and whales, our aim is to see an end to breeding and ensure that the current generation of cetaceans is the last held in captivity.”

A video published by the NGO specifically sheds light on the conditions of the pools, saying they’ve deteriorated and become infested with algae.

Zoo licensing and circus laws

As it stands, the Mediterraneo Marine Park is a licensed zoo and a loophole in the law exempts zoos from circus laws as long as the exemption does not jeopardise the objectives of the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act.

The park has been shrouded in controversy for several years now, with local activists repeatedly calling for the closure of the park and for the owners to be fined through public statements and protests. However, the park has maintained that it is a zoological facility.

Lovin Malta has reached out to Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said for a response on this campaign as well as a comment on whether the ministry intends to close this loophole through the proposition of a legal reform

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