Tear drops in the ocean

The quaint town of Mszczonów, in central Poland, has recently made headlines nationwide after it announced plans to host the country’s very first dolphinarium.

But while cheering crowds, colourful balls spinning in the air and dolphins frolicking in the water is perhaps an image most have in mind when they think of themed aqua parks, environmentalists speak out against the commercial use of the marine mammals for human entertainment and warn the idea is nothing but bad news.

"We in Poland still have a problem with education and the awareness of the wellbeing of animals,” says Jakub Banasik, member of the Dolphinaria-Free Europe Coalition.

“Unfortunately, plenty of people see domestic and wild animals as an asset, as a business. Plenty of people believe in things like dolphin-assisted therapy, like education in circuses. I'm afraid that if we as a society believe that circuses are a good source of entertainment we are not able to see the truth behind dolphinariums. I try to emphasise: dolphinarium is a prison, it's a business, and we in Poland have to see it."