Dolphin, penguins left at defunct aquarium spark concerns
Activists in Tokyo ask authorities to intervene to ensure welfare of marine creatures at decrepit facility
A bottlenose dolphin, about 50 penguins and other marine creatures left at a defunct aquarium near Tokyo have prompted many activists and concerned people to ask for authorities to intervene, local officials said on Wednesday.
The operator of the Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, has continued to take care of the animals even after the facility shut down in January, but the local government has been flooded with calls for their protection, as information about them is not being released to the public.
Since late August, a female dolphin Honey – which is about 18 years old and was once a star in shows, and 46 Humboldt penguins were left at the aquarium along with fish and reptiles.
The facility was run by the city government when it opened in 1954 but a private company that later took it over decided to close the aquarium because of declines in visitors following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and the ageing of the building.
The Chiba prefectural government has been inspecting the facility once a month based on an animal protection law and has confirmed the company has been feeding the animals. The operator has told the prefectural officials that negotiations on transferring the animals have hit a snag, they said.