Organization accuses Lisbon Zoo of cruelty to dolphins

Empty Tanks Portugal accused the Lisbon Zoo of mistreating a dolphin in the care of the company. The allegation was made via an Instagram post.

In a post that says the images are old, a trainer can be seen “surfing” with a dolphin in the zoo’s dolphinarium. The video also shows images of injuries that Empty Tanks Portugal says were sustained while the animal was kept in captivity.

Empty Tanks Portugal, which aims to combat “the captivity of marine mammals and their circus exploitation in Portugal,” accuses the zoo of exposing animals to behaviors and situations that are incompatible with their natural habitat.

TO Morning Post, Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa states that behavior like that shown in the publication “was not part of current zoo practice for a long time and has never resulted in the injuries we see in the image set.” The Lisbon Zoo also stated that the animals in the care of the institution “retain their natural behavior” and that, taking this into account, injuries resulting from the exploitation of the environment or the definition of a hierarchy between them are normal.

The organization adds in an Instagram post that the zoo veterinarian “insisted that there was no problem in continuing to ‘surf’ with the dolphin when it was thus injured.” TO cmThe Zoo explains that the veterinarian was fired from the company.