Voronezh residents actively support a petition demanding to stop the television project “Together with Dolphins,” which airs on Channel One. The appeal was posted on an open platform for the creation and promotion of social and socio-political initiatives, change.org. In two weeks, 104 thousand people have already subscribed to Channel One and the show’s participants. The report said that the idea of creating a TV show with dolphins and stars belongs to the Spanish television company. World famous stars were invited to participate in the show: Pink, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Eva Longoria and other celebrities. The artists rejected the proposal to train dolphins, and the idea itself caused indignation among people around the world.
“Scientists have long proven that dolphins are smart, they can recognize themselves in the mirror, they live in families, they care and love each other, they have feelings like people. In nature, dolphins swim tens of kilometers every day, but in a pool they are forced to swim in circles. We ask the organizers of the show and the administration of Channel One to abandon the idea of a new show, “Together with the Dolphins.” Stop this shame! Using the smartest animals on the planet in an entertaining TV show simply defies any standards. This is immoral because it will inevitably lead to an increase in the popularity of the captivity industry and, ultimately, in the amount of suffering of dolphins. We ask you, for the sake of the life and freedom of these amazing creatures, to prevent further filming at the dolphinarium, which buys dolphins in Japan, and thereby supports the continuous bloodbath,” the petition says.
The author of the petition emphasized that the problem of catching and hunting dolphins in Japan is being actively discussed at the international level. In the country rising sun these animals are considered predators that destroy commercial fish. Japanese fishermen often capture dolphins, train them and sell them to dolphinariums around the world. The petition was signed by residents of various Russian and foreign cities. There are many Voronezh residents among them.“I hope that common sense will defeat Channel One’s desire to win the ratings race at such a terrible cost. Let the artists promote themselves in other, more humane ways. Or is it that no one is interested in how the “stars” skate, jump from towers and survive on wild islands? Keep your hands off the dolphins!
Kira Prudnikova, Voronezh.
“Such a program cannot teach anything good. Flayer entertainment! Shame on our federal television!”
Anna Usova, Voronezh.
“Dolphins are smarter and more noble than humanity. They save people during shipwrecks, and we drive them into swimming pools. I watched one episode of this TV show. Poor animals, what is it like for them when they are forced to roll hundred-kilogram human bodies.”
Stepan Volodin, Voronezh.
The petition will automatically be sent to general director Channel One by Konstantin Ernst at the moment when 150 thousand people sign it.
Sharks are known to be scary and bloodthirsty predators. Dolphins are smart and friendly by nature. And they are the shark's enemies. Why do sharks swim away in panic when they see dolphins? After all, the size of sharks sometimes exceeds the size of dolphins. There are several versions on this matter.
Dolphins are not so harmless and defend well. They help people, but will not allow themselves to be attacked. What is the power of these beautiful mammals? After all, they sometimes even kill them. The fact is that they live in packs and have a mind that is still incomprehensible to people.
The most vulnerable parts of a shark are its belly and gills. At enormous speed, the dolphins crash their noses into the weak points of the shark and beat until they are completely destroyed. The shark can only flee. And then, if you're lucky. Therefore, if a school of dolphins swims next to a shark’s prey, the sharks do not even risk attacking their prey. Thus, dolphins save people not only when they drown in the sea, but also protect them from sharks.
But sharks are not afraid of all types of dolphins. Sharks, for example, are not afraid of killer whales at all. An adult shark can easily deal with a single dolphin, but if there is a school of dolphins, the shark swims away. Dolphins swimming alone are rarely seen. Accordingly, clashes with sharks are rare. This helps dolphins survive. After all, the individuals that swim in schools are not young and not always strong. But sharks are very cunning. They can wait until some dolphin breaks away from the school and falls into their mouth. Intelligence is the most powerful weapon of dolphins. And they use it well. That's why sharks are wary of dolphins.
There are many stories to tell about dolphins. They saved people many times. It is confirmed by documents and there is a known real case of dolphins saving people from a shark. There was a case in New Zealand that is widely known. A school of dolphins surrounded the swimmers in a circle when a shark wanted to attack the people. People tried to break through such a cordon, not understanding what was happening. They were very scared and tried to escape. After some time they saw what was happening. A huge three-meter shark was circling nearby. The dolphins protected the people for about an hour until they brought the people to the shore. And only then did they open the ring. And there are a lot of such cases.
Dolphins attack sharks to protect people. It's a pity there weren't any dolphins nearby when the shark attacked famous surfing champion Bethany Hamilton and bit off her left arm. Not all the abilities of these amazing animals have been studied. The seas, oceans and their inhabitants contain a lot of mysteries and mysteries.
A campaign against showing new products is gaining momentum on the Internet. television show“Together with dolphins”, which started on Channel One. It has 13 Russian stars cinema, pop and television are trying to master the profession of dolphin trainer, according to the channel’s website.
Shortly before the show premiered, a petition appeared on the Internet demanding that it be taken off the air. The document was published on the portal two weeks ago. As of October 13, the petition had been signed by more than 100 thousand people. Among the signatories of the document is the famous blogger Rustem Adagamov. In addition, supporters of closing the show leave their comments on the project page on the Channel One website.
The main reason why the public opposes the show “Together with Dolphins” is the intelligence of animals: “Scientists have long proven that dolphins are smart, they can recognize themselves in the mirror, live in families, care and love each other, they have feelings like in humans. In nature, dolphins swim tens of kilometers every day, but in the pool they are forced to swim in circles."
The authors of the petition note that for the sake of similar shows Dolphins are captured and kept in captivity. At the same time, the capture of dolphins for dolphinariums is carried out in a very cruel way. Dolphin families are being separated. Some individuals cannot withstand the stress and die.
"IN recent years The issue of keeping dolphins in captivity has become one of the most discussed animal issues. The world community refuses to support the captivity of dolphins. People understand that keeping such intelligent creatures that value family ties in captivity is simply inhumane,” the document says.
The initiators of the petition note that the use of marine mammals in Russia is permitted for research, cultural and educational purposes. However, this show does not convey anything educational. In it, participants will perform tricks with dolphins that are not typical for them in the wild.
The petition also provides examples of foreign dolphin shows that have caused a stir in the community. There were similar precedents in Spain and the USA. But there the news caused violent protests. As a result, many celebrities refused to participate in the project, and the show was closed.
“We ask the organizers of the show and the administration of Channel One to abandon the idea of the new show “Together with Dolphins”. Stop this shame! The use of the smartest animals on the planet in an entertaining television show simply does not lend itself to any standards. This is immoral, since it will inevitably lead to an increase in the popularity of the captivity industry and as a result, the amount of suffering of dolphins,” the petition says.
The TV show "Together with Dolphins" started on October 3. According to the plan, over the course of several weeks, participants must learn how to properly train dolphins. Based on the results of this competition, the best coach will be determined. 13 candidates will compete for this title: Yana Churikova, Alla Mikheeva, Larisa Dolina, Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, Lera Kudryavtseva, Tina Kuznetsova, Svetlana Zhurova, Oleg Gazmanov, Alexey Yagudin, Anton Privolnov, Dmitry Sautin, Maxim Marinin, Maxim Sharafutdinov. The jury of the competition included a trainer figure skating Tatyana Tarasova, actor Sergei Shakurov, actor Vladimir Korenev, figure skater Irina Rodnina, TV presenter Leonid Yakubovich, as well as entertainer Efim Shifrin. Nikolai Drozdov is participating in the project as a consultant. Filming of the program takes place in Sochi's Riviera Park.
Shortly before the film crew's visit, a baby dolphin was born at the Sochi Dolphinarium. The baby was named First - in honor of the channel on which the show is filmed. The cub was placed in the same pool in which training takes place. Baby Dolphin First is not yet participating in the main program because he is not trained in tricks. He swims freely wherever he pleases and pokes his curious nose everywhere. The baby experiences special pleasure when adult dolphins and TV show participants learn numbers with balls. Then the baby dolphin shamelessly takes the ball from the elders, swims with it to the far corner, and plays happily there, despite the cries of the annoyed stars.
Mischievous Mary
No one expected that the behavior of dolphins could change significantly during the filming of the program. The animals obviously picked up on the tension and excitement that people suddenly began to broadcast, and not a trace remained of the dolphin’s obedience. Maxim Marinin was especially unlucky: his tailed partner Mary, who dutifully gave the lanky figure skater a piggyback ride during rehearsals, suddenly turned into a pest. Over and over again she pushed Maxim into the water, not allowing him to perform the number.
Swallow Shakurova
The People's Artist, invited to the jury, after discussing one of the performances, suddenly jumped up, climbed a 3-meter tower and jumped from it into the pool like a swallow in what he was wearing - a shirt and trousers. The organizers of the show did not expect such an impromptu performance from the 73-year-old actor. They say it was very hot that day. Maybe it's just too hot? It is curious that after Shakurov, other stars began to jump into the water in clothes: for example, she dived in a magnificent evening dress with an embroidered corset.
"Together with the dolphins." Photo: still from the show
"Together with the dolphins." Photo: still from the show
"Together with the dolphins." Photo: still from the show
"Together with the dolphins." Photo: still from the show
Coach's Tears
After the performance, many stars thanked the trainers who taught them how to handle dolphins, not only in words. , for example, presented the coach with a bouquet of pink tulips. Oleg Gazmanov handed his coach a box of corn. But Larisa Dolina gave the dolphin trainer Olga a disc with her hits, which literally moved the impressionable girl to tears. Having burst into tears in front of the public and under the gun of television cameras, Olga was not immediately able to pull herself together and calm down.
"Together with the dolphins." Photo: still from the show
Walrus woman Antonina
One of the jury members, Efim Shifrin, volunteered to perform his own act together with the walrus Antonina between the performances of the participants in the “Together with Dolphins” show. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for a full rehearsal of this number. But Shifrin incredibly quickly found an approach to the walrus and managed to charm her so that she caught his every move and followed all his commands, as if she had been giving performances with him four times a day for the last five years. The trainers of the Sochi Dolphinarium were amazed.
« Together with dolphins" , First , 19:10, Saturday
Sochi's Riviera Dolphinarium, the largest in the CIS, was chosen as the location for filming the new TV show.
Dolphins made friends with the “stars”
“At first, our dolphins did not understand what was happening. There were a lot of new people, their unfamiliar gestures caused bewilderment in the animals, says dolphin trainer Valentina Karabajak, who participated in staging numbers for the TV show. - But literally on the third day they got used to it and made friends with the artists. All participants treat the dolphins very carefully. They are not late for training and rehearsals, and after they are over they often stay with their dolphins just like that, sitting and talking.”
The TV show “Together with the Dolphins” features 13 popular actors, TV presenters and athletes must quickly become trainers for dolphins and learn to perform tricks they already know with the animals, as well as come up with and rehearse completely new routines. The honored figure skating coach of the USSR, Tatyana Tarasova, will decide how well the “dolphin-human” pair works. People's Artist Sergey Shakurov, famous Ichthyander, performer leading role in the film “Amphibian Man” Vladimir Korenev, figure skater Irina Rodnina, Leonid Yakubovich and Efim Shifrin.
Valentina also said that the training was not without some difficulties. For example, Anastasia Zavorotnyuk had a hard time doing tricks in the water. Lera Kudryavtseva was not always satisfied with the routines that she was offered to perform with dolphins. Larisa Dolina was unable to cope with the dolphin ride. This trick was eventually replaced by another for the singer.
“The participants often confused their dolphins,” says trainer Valentina. - Once upon completion of filming a number, Dmitry Sautin needed to thank his dolphin. But the athlete mixed up the animals and treated a completely different dolphin to fish. It was funny to watch how his dolphin swam after the athlete, not understanding why he was left without encouragement. Dmitry didn’t immediately guess what was going on, but then everyone laughed at this incident together.”
“I believe that it’s not too late to stop the show”
Almost immediately after an advertisement for the TV show aired on Channel One, a petition appeared on the Internet against the broadcast of the program.
The author of the petition under the nickname Save Dolphins believes that the television project does not contain anything educational. This is just an entertaining TV show in which dolphins will perform actions that are not typical for these animals in the wild.
The nickname Save Dolphins belongs to a girl who introduced herself as Oksana. She once dreamed of becoming a dolphin trainer and working at a large American zoo and oceanarium, SeaWorld. The girl began to prepare for the entrance test that she had to pass when applying for a job, and unexpectedly she collected a lot of information about how dolphins and other marine mammals suffer in captivity.
“This happened two years ago and completely changed my picture of the world regarding the work of dolphinariums,” says Oksana. - Today, the most disgusting fact remains the annual capture of these animals, which is currently taking place in Japan and will last until the end of February. In the petition, I said that after catching, Japanese fishermen carefully “sort out” the dolphins: the babies are sent back to the sea, since they are not suitable for dolphinariums due to their age and development. Adult dolphins are trained and sold to other countries for a lot of money. Russia, Ukraine and China are the first buyers on these lists.”
In her appeal, the girl points out that in the Sochi Dolphinarium, where filming of the show “Together with Dolphins” continues, three dolphins from Japan live.
Initially, the idea of a program where stars and marine mammals would take part was born several years ago from a Spanish television company. But the show didn’t work out: the TV crew was hit with a wave of indignation from people all over the world. Filming had to be stopped, despite the fact that several episodes were filmed.
Save Dolphins says that the international movement against the captivity industry is now at its peak, but in Russia people hardly know about it. In India, dolphins have been recognized as non-human individuals. Mobile dolphinariums have been banned in Mexico. In Ukraine, a law was introduced stating that dolphins in captivity can only be kept in natural water. In England, the involvement of dolphins in the entertainment industry has been completely stopped.
“All this was achieved thanks to the efforts ordinary people who care about the fate of sea animals. I believe that the opinion of everyone who signed this petition is of great importance and will be heard,” Save Dolphins explains its position.
At the time of writing this article, about 11 thousand people left their signatures on the petition against the TV show. The girl hopes that the appeal, the author of which she became, will show the management of the TV channel that viewers do not need a cruel and immoral show about dolphins. Oksana believes that it is not too late to stop the show.
Are dolphin services hazardous to health?
Save Dolphins shares the opinion of Kuban marine zoologist Konstantin Andramonov. Previously, Konstantin was an employee of one of the Kuban dolphinariums and knows first-hand what the conditions are for keeping animals in similar Russian institutions.
“Unfortunately, today in Russia, rules for keeping marine mammals in dolphinariums have not been developed at the legislative level. There are also no regulations regarding the quality of water and the depth of the pools in which dolphins should live. The owners of dolphinariums create these standards for themselves, says Konstantin Andramonov. - I do not exclude the possibility of allowing dolphinariums into the pools strangers“, selling them such beautiful and tempting services as “dolphin therapy” and “swimming with dolphins,” as well as hosting TV shows with the participation of “stars,” can be dangerous for both the health of people and animals.”
Konstantin notes that, according to his observations, in almost all dolphinariums in our country there are gross violations in the maintenance of marine mammals.
“I didn’t open the dolphinarium to torture dolphins”
The general director of the Sochi Dolphinarium "Riviera" David Soboyan has a different view on the problem of keeping dolphins.
“We have three swimming pools, each of which is more than 7 meters deep. We use the latest three-level water purification equipment, which is monitored by 11 specialists. In addition, the pools are equipped with heated water: even in summer the temperature in them does not drop below 24 degrees. All trainers who work with marine mammals have psychological, zoological or medical education. The animals are regularly examined by veterinarians,” says David.
Despite the fact that in Russia there are no standards for water requirements in dolphinariums, David consulted a lot with zoologists, ensuring that the water in the Sochi dolphinarium was as similar in composition to sea water as possible.
“I don’t hide the fact that decent care of animals costs a pretty penny. But I didn’t open the dolphinarium to torture dolphins in it. We treat our charges with care, doing everything in our power to ensure that their stay in captivity does not bring them suffering,” explains David.
He believes that Save Dolphins should appeal to the owners of mobile dolphinariums, where the mammals really have a hard time. Animals are transported between cities in small baths, where they have to remain motionless for hours, which undoubtedly affects the emotional state of the dolphins and their health.
Opinions were divided. Famous people who became participants in the show “Together with Dolphins,” got along well with sea animals, none of them refused to participate in the television project. Conservationists unanimously say that dolphins suffer in captivity. The director of the Sochi Dolphinarium assures that “no fly will fly in his organization”: this is how zealously they protect the marine mammals living in his establishment. But in any case, the problem of poor animal welfare in dolphinariums, zoos and circuses has always been there and has not disappeared. It is possible that the TV show “Together with Dolphins” will attract public attention to her.
