January 25th 2025
Pioneering Dolphin Sanctuary in Greece Remains in Limbo
In a remote corner of the eastern Aegean Sea, on the north side of the tiny island of Lipsi, lies a small bay that few know about. Surrounded by pristine waters, this peaceful bit of Greece’s coastline has been waiting in vain to host dolphins freed from marine parks across the globe.
The world’s first permanent sanctuary for dolphins that have been rescued from captivity, founded by the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, has been almost complete for some time. Yet, according to the institute, Greece’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy, responsible for issuing the relevant permits, has been failing to do so for almost seven years!
The issue of the sanctuary’s operation came to the spotlight again, after Greece’s main zoo announced on Wednesday, January 22nd, that it would send its five captive dolphins to a Florida aquarium in the United States. Animal activists in Greece and the United States have been calling for the animals to be transferred to the Lipsi sanctuary, instead of spending the rest of their lives in another tank.
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