Dolphin's teeth pulled out so tourists can kiss them
Dolphins at a tourist attraction in Bali had their teeth removed or filed down so they could kiss holidaymakers and perform, leaving the creatures “traumatised”, investigators have found. Others are put at risk by being forced to leap from the water onto the side of the pool during shows for holidaymakers — putting stress on their internal organs and causing them breathing difficulties.
And meanwhile, behind the scenes at various attractions on the idyllic-seeming Indonesian island, orangutans, tigers and elephants are secretly kept in filthy, cramped enclosures with bare concrete floors. The cases are among a string of examples of cruelty fuelled unwittingly by tourists, revealed in a report on attractions in Bali and two other Indonesian hot spot destinations.
“Having their teeth removed or filed down would be a very traumatic experience,” said Chiara Vitali, head of wildlife campaigns at World Animal Protection UK, which produced the report. The report states: “Disturbingly, the teeth of two females, and potentially the younger males, had been filed down to flat stumps, and a few appeared to be entirely missing.
“When this was queried with the trainers running the show, they claimed that the dolphins didn’t grow teeth because they were raised in a pool.” Tourists pay to swim with dolphins, being towed by holding on to the animal’s fin — but swimmers are unaware the extra weight may damage the fin, the report says.
Campaigners at the animal-protection charity say that while Bali may be a paradise island for holidaymakers, it is a hotbed of misery for the 1,500 wild animals believed to be captive there in the tourism industry.
And meanwhile, behind the scenes at various attractions on the idyllic-seeming Indonesian island, orangutans, tigers and elephants are secretly kept in filthy, cramped enclosures with bare concrete floors. The cases are among a string of examples of cruelty fuelled unwittingly by tourists, revealed in a report on attractions in Bali and two other Indonesian hot spot destinations.
“Having their teeth removed or filed down would be a very traumatic experience,” said Chiara Vitali, head of wildlife campaigns at World Animal Protection UK, which produced the report. The report states: “Disturbingly, the teeth of two females, and potentially the younger males, had been filed down to flat stumps, and a few appeared to be entirely missing.
“When this was queried with the trainers running the show, they claimed that the dolphins didn’t grow teeth because they were raised in a pool.” Tourists pay to swim with dolphins, being towed by holding on to the animal’s fin — but swimmers are unaware the extra weight may damage the fin, the report says.
Campaigners at the animal-protection charity say that while Bali may be a paradise island for holidaymakers, it is a hotbed of misery for the 1,500 wild animals believed to be captive there in the tourism industry.