LET THEM FIND THE OCEAN...

The Chapter Animals fight over dolphinariums is probably our most important French campaign. However, we are not asking for much and fulfilling our wish is hardly complicated. But none of the establishments in question deigned to answer us despite our various reminders.

"Let me find the ocean" is the name of our campaign. It is not anti-dolphinarium, far from it. It only demands that individuals taken from the wild may be entitled to a well-deserved retirement in a marine sanctuary. There are 7 individuals in question. There are three in Marineland Antibes, three in Parc Asterix and one in French Polynesia.

Lotty and Sharky (image 11) are a real symbol for our association. Both were born in 1980, and were taken in 1983 from Florida waters. This year, the two females will celebrate their 40 years of which 37 are deprived of their due freedom. Malou was also born in 1980. His capture is more vague - no bad pun - between 83 and 85, in Cuba. All three now live at Marineland in Antibes, which refuses to offer them a retirement after a stolen life. As for Parc Asterix, the best known is called Femke (images 5 and 15). She was born in 1982 and, aged 2, was captured in Florida. But she is not the only captive in Parc Asterix to have had the misfortune to cross paths with men. Beauty was born in 1973. Torn from her family in 1982, Beauty was lucky to live since usually dolphins of this age, once captured, are slaughtered. It comes from Mexico. And finally, Guama. He is the only male. Born in 1982, captured in 1987 in Cuba.

Many people have died in these parks - but also water parks around the world. However, Lotty, Sharky, Malou, Femke, Beauty, Guama and Hina survive. They hold on. They have been entertaining us humans for over 30 years. Is it not our duty to give them freedom? These individuals could live and form a new group, in a marine reserve. It is not the first time that dolphins have left dolphinariums and found the ocean without any worries. So, what prevents these beings from finding a new life, at 40 years on average. But Chapter Animals, active in Japan, also fights for Honey, who (on) lives alone in an abandoned and grimy pool.

In our request, we are only talking about dolphins taken from the wild. Wouldn't that be a giant step to start? For us, there is no doubt. We recall that in many countries, this has already been done.

- 2012: Tom and Misha, two male dolphins and captives for 6 years in Turkey were able to find the ocean and even mix with a wild group.

- 2015: Boksoon, a female, was released by South Korea after living illegally as a captive. In 2016, she gave birth to a baby.

- 2013/2015: still in South Korea, in addition to Boksoon, his companions were released. They were Sampal, Chunsam, Taesan and Jedol. The first two were also able to give birth.

- 2017: once again in South Korea, Geumdeung and Daepo were able to find the ocean after 20 years of life in captivity.

- 2018: China announces that Little Gray and Little White, two belugas aged 12 at the time, will be placed in a marine sanctuary in 2020.

Chapter Animals also fights against capture in our oceans. Thus, we are mobilizing so that the Nausicaa stops its deadly catches. The 30 hammerhead sharks from Australia died between 2011 and 2019, as did the female manta ray, also collected wild, which died in 2018. Nausicaa had, a few months ago, intended to collect baby walruses - still not weaned - in Canada to enlarge their collection for 2023. Fortunately, Canada has refused this approach, as has the United States. It would also have been the intention of the dolphinarium to recover marine mammals and turtles, but that will not see the light of day either ... And we will see to it. 

EDIT FEBUARY 2020 : It is with sadness that we learn of the death of the runner-up Lotty. After two years of fighting to allow her to find freedom, accompanied by Sharky, she will have given her last breath in the Marineland basins. We are only sadness and anger, but we will continue the fight for others!