ProWal members hold protest in Kaş
ANTALYA - Anatolia News Agency
The members of German ProWal seek the closure of the dolphin park in Antalya’s Kaş.
Members of the German dolphin and whale protection organization ProWal have held a demonstration in the town of Kaş in the southern province of Antalya to protest a dolphin park there.Gathering in a tea garden, ProWal members shouted slogans and protested the holding of dolphins in captivity. Making a statement on behalf of the group, ProWal Chairman Andreas Morlok said that four Afalina dolphins, which were brought to the park in Kaş from Bodrum, should be set free and the park should be closed down. He claimed that the dolphin park and show center in Kaş is one of the worst in the world, and although the center was closed down in 2010 and Kaş Municipality officials promised not to open it again, it was re-opened in November 2011. Four dolphins had been brought to Kaş on a small vegetable truck, and the dolphin facility in Kaş consists of only a small cage surrounded by rusty wires, Morlok said, adding that many dolphins that have previously been used for therapy or in shows have died at the Kaş center.
“This is the world’s worst and most cruel dolphin facility. With the help of Turkish people who are sensitive to this issue, we are determined to do our best to bring about the closure of this dolphin prison forever.”
The Kaş Tourism Promotion Association’s Mustafa Eriş, who supported the ProWal group, said the dolphin park is not helpful for Kaş tourism. He said that his organization has appealed to the municipality for the removal of the center.
