Flemish Minister for Animals Ben Weyts puts an end to the discussions and uncertainty surrounding the dolphinarium in Bruges: by 2037 at the latest, the story of dolphins in captivity in Flanders will end. The measure only concerns the only Flemish dolphinarium 'Boudewijn Seapark' in Bruges, where 6 dolphins currently reside.
Ben Weyts explains on his website: “In Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges there is another dolphinarium where many visitors come to see intelligent and sensitive creatures, which in the wild have a habitat of hundreds of square kilometers and form large groups there. In captivity they are limited to small numbers in small pools.”
Weyts therefore previously stipulated in his Animal Welfare Code that no new dolphinariums were to be established and that the only existing dolphinarium had to take extra measures to improve animal welfare. Consequently, a breeding and import ban was introduced, and the operators must build an outdoor pool by 2027 to which the animals have permanent access. An evaluation of the keeping of the dolphins would be conducted every five years.
End of uncertainty
Weyts is now putting an end to the uncertainty and discussions about the future of the dolphinarium in Bruges: by 2037 at the latest, the story of dolphins in captivity in Flanders will end for good. That is the moment when the new outdoor pool will be completely written off: the operators will then have recovered their investment. After that, only specialized shelters in Flanders will be allowed to take in injured and sick dolphins or other cetaceans. Not to exhibit the animals, but to care for them until they can be released back into their natural habitat.
Source and more information: www.benweyts.be
Boudewijn Seapark reacts with dismay
We also received a response from Boudewijn Seapak following the decision:
“It seems more like the Flemish government wants to shift the problem to another location, where ultimately only the dolphins will suffer. The agreement was that the park would build an outdoor pool by 2027 and that a first re-evaluation would take place in 2037. The park is happy to keep to all agreements, but demands the same from the government. Boudewijn Seapark is holding the government to this agreement, even if it has to be legally enforced. Minister Weyts ignores the advice of his own services, civil servants and the zoo commission, but allows himself to be forced by a small group of people who continue to exert pressure and is tempted into making statements about permanent closure without having a solution for the animals. The park has every confidence in the future and is happy to enter into discussions with the government.”
from the response of Boudewijn Seapark
In the extensive response, the dolphinarium also cites a 2022 study by Dr. Isabella Clegg, which is no longer mentioned at all in the latest decision-making. Bouwewijn Seapark would like to share the results so that a more nuanced discussion can be held:
The outcome of this report is that Boudewijn Seapark has “excellent animal welfare” for the dolphins with an average welfare score of 84,9%. In short, the scientist comes to the same conclusion as the Animal Welfare Council came to years earlier, but with many more individual observations and a long-term investigation into the park's facilities. Also during the control investigations of the Animal Welfare Service, no shortcomings were ever found in the dolphins.
According to all conclusions, animal welfare can only be further improved by adding an outdoor pool to the current facilities. All other scenarios result in reduced animal welfare, while this should remain the essence of the discussion. This conclusion remains unchanged for 2037. The policy document and the objectives do not offer any solution that will result in an improvement of animal welfare.
from the response of Boudewijn Seapark
Dolphins are not the only animal species in Boudewijn Seapark, but they are the animal species with which the park explicitly profiles itself. We have also asked the park how they view their own future. As soon as an answer comes in, we will add it to this article.
Read Boudewijn Seapark's vision at: www.boudewijnseapark.be/ontmoet-de-dieren/feiten-en-fabels/