Memorial to Mark Death at Dolphinaris

After Second Marine Mammal Dies in Less Than a Year, PETA and Dolphin Free AZ Will Call On Park to Release Dolphins Into Coastal Sanctuaries

For Immediate Release:
May 23, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    A group of PETA and Dolphin Free AZ members will leave flowers, candles, and a “dolphin” outside Dolphinaris today in memory of Alia, the 10-year-old dolphin who died at the park on Tuesday.

When:    Wednesday, May 23, 12 noon

Where:    Southwest corner of E. Vía de Ventura and N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale

“Alia is the second dolphin to die prematurely in less than a year at Dolphinaris, where marine mammals who should be swimming up to 60 miles per day in the ocean are trapped in a tiny tank,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Dolphinaris to retire these dolphins to coastal sanctuaries, where they could lead a more natural life than they can while being ridden on by humans in the baking Arizona desert.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that dolphin interactions and “swim with dolphins” encounters are notoriously deadly for dolphins, who commonly collide, jump out of pools, ingest foreign objects, or fall victim to viral or fungal infections. A 7-year-old dolphin also died at the park in October.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.