Six men broke into the Batumi Dolphinarium to release dolphins
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, September 1
Six men broke into the Batumi Dolphinarium on August 30 and demanded the release of the resident dolphins, the Dolphinarium’s PR manager Berdia Kutubidze firstly told the Interpressnews agency.
He stated that the young men said the dolphins were locked in prison and they should be freed.
According to him, police arrested the group of young people and took them to questioning.
According to the Black Sea Flora and Fauna Scientific-Research Center, a group of people wilfully broke through the cordon of the Batumi Dolphinarium and obstructed the working process.
The dolphinarium guards responded to their physical aggression with tear gas.
However, several guards were injured.
The first dolphinarium was open in Batumi in 1975 and was re-opened in 2011.
It should be noted that Dolphinariums are increasingly controversial, with some pressure groups pushing for them to be banned in the EU.
The Batumi Dolphinarium provides a show for up to 700 spectators and offers visitors the opportunity at trying their hand as dolphin trainers.
The show is performed in Georgian, English and Russian. There are three shows per day at 14:00, 17:00 and 21:00. There are special facilities for disabled people.
