Hungary to open its first dolphinarium in Budapest
Central-Europe’s unique marine zoo called Tropicarium was established in 2000 and attracts approximately 460,000 guests every year. No wonder that it is the fourth most visited institutions in Hungary. The exhibition offers a combined presentation of the Hungarian fish species, animals living in the tropical rainforest and inhabitants of the deep seas and oceans.
With its size of almost 3000 square metres, Tropicarium offers an insight into a magnificent tropical and sea world. On the first day of the institution, nearly 1 million people visited this unique zoo, and their number has been increasing since then. An interesting fact is that 35-40% of the guests are non-Hungarian speakers.
The success of the zoo lies in the constant improvements and the organisation of exciting and interesting programmes for children and adults. Visitors arriving at the Tropicarum get an insight of these magnificent animals in eight different rooms. The main spectacle of the zoo is the shark aquarium with seven shark species.
Photo: www.facebook.com/tropicarium
According to Index, Thomas Farkasdi, the director of Tropicarium, recently reported that he has new plans for improving one of the best Hungarian zoos. Tropicarium has been in contact with Europe’s biggest dolphinarium and also with the American SeaWorld marine park in Orlando.
The aim of Thomas Farkasdi is to create a unique dolphinarium in Budapest for the first time in Hungary. According to the director he believes in the project’s success as the entertainment sector in Hungary is in need of a new spectacle.
On the other hand, a lot of people are against the plan. The director also emphasised that these people do not take into consideration the fact that every dolphinariums’ dolphins are born in captivity. Therefore it is not beneficial to take them back into the ocean as they do not learn the necessary skills for haunting and would die in a short period of time.
It is forbidden to bring a wild dolphin into Europe. Approximately 272 animals constantly live in European dolphinariums, and the Hungarian dolphinarium would like to bring up their offsprings.
The plan of the Tropicarium is to establish Europe’s most beautiful and modern dolphinarium in Budapest. The director believes that this new spectacle would be the most famous touristic attraction of Hungary, giving the opportunity to see rare dolphin shows in our country. He also emphasised that only Tropicarium has the necessary knowledge of how to keep sea animals properly in captivity, the contacts with other marine establishments abroad and skills to establish Hungary’s first dolphinarium.
Source: index.hu
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24 Comments
Please do not support this!!
These are beautiful intelligent creatures that should not be used to serve humans as entertainment
What a shameful thing to do to social, intelligent creatures. SHAME on you for doing this SHAME SHAME SHAME
Disgusting and shame on Hungary for even considering this. The world doesnt want to see this anymore and the same goes for Circuses and Zoos.
Shame on Hungary for even considering this. They and Orcas belong in the sea with their families.
As the cruelty of keeping whales and dolphins was brought to world attention with the Blackfish film, surely this is a form or ‘entertainment’ that should be shunned. Many of the dolphins are stolen as babies from the wild, with the parents being killed. Besides, they are intelligent creatures that suffer greatly when kept in captivity. Please, please don’t open this hell for dolphins!
Dolphins don’t belong in captivity. Giving them a life in a concrete tank, a prison. It’s cruel! I am so dissapointed in you Budapest, Hungary.
Don’t be dissapointed in Hungary. It is only a stupid business man who wants to do this. There is no support on the side of Hungarian people! And of course it’s not legal. So please do not spam the world with unrelevant information from a sponsored article….
Borzalmas! A világ kezdi ezt abbahagyni és Budapest most kezdi el csinálni. Ez elmebetegség!
They didn`t ask people of Hungary. We are not ignorant, everybody knows about Taiji and the cruelty at Seaworld. It`s banned to hold ceateans in captivity in Hungary any there is no sign that it would ever change. Farkasdi has been campaigning for years and he talks like if there is no ban. And many of us heard about the connection between Harderwijk and Taiji. And we make it sure that more and more people would hear about Taiji and wouldn`t believe the fairy tale.
Where other countries like Canada are banning marine theme parks you choose to start the cycle all over again? GET SOME DAMN ETHICS
It’s a shame for even considering this idea. Captivity is cruel and shamefull, this is not an entartainment – this is a horror show, it does not show anything but lack of empathy and pure disrespect to life. Dolphins, orcas and other inteligent animals belong to the sea, not to conrete tanks. shameful.
Our laws prohibit such things, it’s a black and white thing, our government just still tend to ignore this.
Hungarians do not support this and every one of the animal rights organisations are trying to call this out and stop this!
Obviously the more support we have from anyone abroad, the more chance we have to really prevent this shameful thing to happen!
Thomas Farkasdi is spouting nothing more than captive industry propaganda and lies. He states that the Hungarian aqua circus would use dolphins born in captivity LIE! Not enough dolphins are born in captivity to supply the ever-expanding captive cetacean markets. He also neglects to mention the abnormally high sickness and death rates for show dolphins due to chlorine poisoning. As co-author of the award-winning Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy expose, I am in constant contact with disillusioned ex-trainers who all confirm the horrors of the captive industry. To Europe’s shame, dolphinaria are still thriving. They say they don’t import wild dolphins. No … they let other countries do their dirty work for them. Check out the Taiji slaughter where the vast majority of the world’s show dolphins come from. Please don’t let Hungary become party to this obscenity!
Very, very disappointing that this cruel inhumane place is being even considered.
Dolphins are very highly intelligent, socially complex and sentient beings. They can swim up to 40 miles per day (orcas can swim up to 100 miles per day). How can anyonee believe it is acceptable to keep them trapped in a concrete puddle prison where they must perform to be fed.
Love dolphind then learn about them.
Watch ‘ The Cove’ or ‘ Blackfish’
Read, ‘To Free a Wild Dolphin’ or ‘ Behind the Smile’ by Rick O’Barry.
Every one of the comments on this post is AGAINST this horror- for good reason- captivity is hell for dolphins. There is nothing ‘educational’ or ‘scientific’ about captivity, it’s purely about making money. And yes, watch ‘The Cove’ and you’ll see the truth behind the lies- dolphins are hunted down off Taiji, Japan- and stolen from the wild. If you buy a ticket for a place like this you are making sure that more wild dolphins will be stolen from their families and will watch those that are not ’selected’ for captivity slaughtered in front of their eyes.
in this day and age captivity is a step backwards into the stone age…cruel ..when people are fighting to get these animals out of these hellholes and into sanctuaries..what are you thinking
This is terrible! There is no possible way you can create a physically or mentally healthy environment for dolphins! Please realize the rest of the world is closing their dolphin prisons, not starting them! It is not educational, it is not conservation, it is not valuable research!!! It is a crime against their sentience! Shame on you!
Well said Stacia Deering and everyone else who’s commented so far. So encouraging to see so many standing up against animal exploitation in the form of ‘water zoos’ for profit. Grow up Hungary. This harks back to the day of dancing bears and circuses (oh, what’s that, you still have those?) Gawd, such a depressing page – wish I hadn’t scrolled down and seen the other images. However, I was amused by this typo: “it is not beneficial to take them back into the ocean as they do not learn the necessary skills for haunting…” Ha! So let’s hope anyone daft enough to go ‘dolphin swimming’ doesn’t meet with any nasty ‘accident’. At the very least let’s hope anyone planning such a venture at ‘Seaworld Budapest’ gets a mouthful of dolphin poo.
Shame on you! #emptythetanks
This must not be allowed to go ahead. It is right that captive wild dolphins are not allowed to be displayed in Europe but neither should dolphins or whales born in captivity. This is no life for these animals and it should be against the law to breed keep or exhibit them.
Dolphinariums are cruel. Tnere is a dirty big trade in live animals – do not be part of this!
@John Zolis and Anonymousx100times!,
Really?! Who do you think your convincing? The Hungarian people who have nothing to do with this or the businessman?!!
John Zolis as you posted, “countries like Canada are banning marine parks”, I know Marineland very well! raising my kids, me included, visited this park for years till the horror stories appeared in the last few. My question to you is since you know Canadas’ Marineland so well. Why the F do you think the government here has NOT shut the facility down? It runs with professional trainers to this day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marineland_of_Canada
Second question is where all these “Anonymous” pussy foots coming from and what are their real intentions? We talking current LABOUR laziness unrest cause a bunch of commies sympathizers don’t want to work real hours like the rest in the real world?
Shame on you for exploiting these beautiful intelligent creatures for monetary gain. Just disgusting.
This is how Dolphins, Orcas and other predatary animals do it look, smell feel, use your senses. What you decide looks tastiest eat!