Kaş Dolphin Park was closed after captive dolphins Tom and Misha were moved from Kaş to a new dolphin pool in Hisarönü last year. Following the protests against their captivity in Hisarönü and finally their freedom from cruel hands, Kaş mayor Abdullah Gültekin promised, as a result of negotiations with international animal rights groups, not to open another dolphin park in Kaş!
However, on 08/12/201, captive dolphins Ada, Doğa, West and Ada 1 were transferred from Bodrum Güvercinlik Dolphin Park to Kaş.
On 12/12/2011, Abdullah Gültekin, the Mayor of Kaş, sent an official message to the public stating that they had no information regarding the transportation of the dolphins to Kaş.
These are the four dolphins that have been living in worst conditions for years. They have a great deal of press coverage consisted of scenes where they attack one another out of aggression, wound their mouths trying to unclamp wire nettings and play with the plastics bags in all that dirt.
The same dolphins will now struggle to survive in a tiny sea-cage in Kaş!
Please raise your voice against this torture chamber and join our pledge! Use your legal right to information act and send the letter below to the relevant institutions mentioned below. Do not forget to write down the date, your name & surname and ID number, if applicable.
And follow www.yunuslaraozgurluk.com and facebook.com/yunuslaraozgurluk for bigger protests!
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LETTER & ADDRESSEES
Tarih (Date):
Konu: Kaş’a taşınan dört yunus hakkında (Subject: Regarding 4 dolphins transferred to Kaş)
(Başvurumuz, BİMER’e de iletilmiştir) (Letter also addressed to the Prime Ministry Information Centre)
T.C. GIDA, TARIM VE HAYVANCILIK BAKANLIĞI – MINISTRY OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
ANTALYA İL GIDA, TARIM VE HAYVANCILIK MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ – ANTALYA PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
KAŞ İLÇE GIDA, TARIM VE HAYVANCILIK MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ – KAŞ DISTRICT DIRECTORATE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
MUĞLA İL GIDA, TARIM VE HAYVANCILIK MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ – MUĞLA PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
BODRUM İLÇE GIDA, TARIM VE HAYVANCILIK MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ – BODRUM DISTRICT DIRECTORATE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
T.C. ANTALYA VALİLİĞİ – GOVERNORSHIP OF ANTALYA
KAŞ BELEDİYE BAŞKANLIĞI – KAŞ MUNICIPALITY
On 8/12/2011, we’ve been informed by two different sources that 2 dolphins were placed into the old dolphinarium area in Kaş. Through our connections in Kaş, we have realized that 4 dolphins were actually moved to the sea-pen.
In 2010, the dolphin park in Kaş was closed down and the two dolphins were moved to Fethiye-Hisarönü, which was also shut down the same year after extensive local and international protests. Last summer, the Mayor of Kaş pledged not to open another dolphin park in Kaş following negotiations with international animal rights groups ProWal and WDSF.
In this regard, I use my right to information and expect to receive official response to all my questions below from each and every authorized institutions and relevant departments.
1. How many dolphins were brought to Kaş and where did they originally come from? Either from a dolphin park or imported from another country?
2. If those dolphins were imported, do they have necessary CITES certificates of origin? If yes, I request a copy of those documents.
3. If they were brought from Bodrum Dolphin Park, what is the current official status of the dolphinarium in Bodrum? Will it be active in 2012 summer season or has it been shut down and its business license decertificated?
4. Which ministry or governmental institution has been authorized to give business license to the Kaş Dolphinarium and which “line of business” was labelled on the license? How long does the license last? I request a copy of the license to be attached in response.
5. How did the dolphins transferred to Kaş and which legislation was observed during transportation? Do Provincial/District Directorates of Food, Agriculture and Livestock have any official information on the transportation?
6. Most importantly, how is this establishment in Kaş and the transportation process permitted and considered “legal” with regards to the provisions of 5199 Animal Protection Law and the international Bern Convention? All this process violates the main articles of 5199 and even the “exceptions” in the article 9 of Bern Convention, where those dolphin species in the Kaş Dolphin Park are specified as needing “special protection” in Appendix II and “all forms of deliberate capture and keeping and deliberate killing”, “the possession of and internal trade in these animals, alive or dead” are prohibited.
7. Finally, it’s been obligated by the Bern Convention that “the Contracting Parties shall report every two years to the Standing Committee on the exceptions made under” article 9.1. Are there any reports already been sent to the Committee? If yes, I request copies of those reports that have been sent prior to 2011.
In this context, I request an official response to my letter within the prescribed legal time.
Regards,
Name/Surname:
ID number (if applicable):
APPENDIX 1 – 5199 ANIMAL PROTECTION LAW
http://www.tbmm.gov.tr/kanunlar/k5199.html
APPENDIX 2 – BERN CONVENTION
http://cevrehukuku.net/index.php/sozlesmeler/65-bern (Turkish)
http://www.milliparklar.gov.tr/DKMP/Files/Mevzuat/hukuk/sozlesme/berns/bern_eng.pdf(English)
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ADDRESSEES
info@tarim.gov.tr, bilgiedinme@tarim.gov.tr, alo174@tarim.gov.tr, bilgiedinme@basbakanlik.gov.tr, bilgi@basbakanlik.gov.tr, islemler.illeridaresi@icisleri.gov.tr, mahalli@mahalli-idareler.gov.tr, mahalli@icisleri.gov.tr, bimer@basbakanlik.gov.tr, antalya@antalya-tarim.gov.tr, antalya.kas@tarimnet.gov.tr, info@mugla-tarim.gov.tr, mugla.bodrum@tarimnet.gov.tr, antalya@icisleri.gov.tr, info@kas.bel.tr, baskan@kas.bel.tr, sekreterlik@kas.bel.tr, fenisleri@kas.bel.tr, yaziisleri@kas.bel.tr, ozel.kalem@kulturturizm.gov.tr, sgb@kulturturizm.gov.tr, tursab@tursab.org.tr, hukuk@tursab.org.tr
