Dolfinarium Harderwijk Dolfinarium News

Post-mortum Adak has become the father of a calf born yesterday-evening to Steller's sea-lion Kiska.
 
According to Dutch newspaper De Stentor Dolfinarium Harderwijs is considering saying goodbye to their iconic walruses (they currently have four and have kept the species since 1974). The current walrus exhibit should then become the new home of Harderwijk's Steller sea lions that are currently housed in an exhibit deemed too small and shallow by a 2020 report of the Dutch government's Zoo Commission (see second article linked below). According to De Stentor there are ongoing discussions to move two walruses to Pairi Daiza in Belgium and two to Hainan Ocean Paradise in China, but no definitive decision has yet been made.

Personally I think that the exhibit at Pairi Daiza which I visited a few months ago is really not suitable for another two walruses on top of the three already present and the four already planned.

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A number of changes to the Dolfinarium were announced today at a press conference. The changes are a response to a critical report from the Ministry of Nature.

Two walruses, eight bottlenose dolphins and two California sea lions are moving to Hainan Ocean Paradise in China, probably in late 2021 or early 2022. A new home is being sought for the other two walruses.

By moving these animals to another park, more space is created for the remaining animals. For example, plans are now being made to move the Steller sea lions to the walrus enclosure. The current Steller sea lion enclosure would be too small and too shallow, according to the report.

After the departure of the eight dolphins, nineteen dolphins remain in Harderwijk. In 2017, the park had already stopped actively breeding dolphins. This is because there are currently enough in the park and in Europe.

The shows are also being adjusted. Unnatural behaviors are removed as much as possible.

Going on a photo with dolphins or sea lions for a fee still remains, although visitors are no longer allowed to touch the animals. In addition, an educational lesson is associated with each photo opportunity.
 
MennoPebesma said:
A number of changes to the Dolfinarium were announced today at a press conference. The changes are a response to a critical report from the Ministry of Nature.

Two walruses, eight bottlenose dolphins and two California sea lions are moving to Hainan Ocean Paradise in China, probably in late 2021 or early 2022. A new home is being sought for the other two walruses.

By moving these animals to another park, more space is created for the remaining animals. For example, plans are now being made to move the Steller sea lions to the walrus enclosure. The current Steller sea lion enclosure would be too small and too shallow, according to the report.

After the departure of the eight dolphins, nineteen dolphins remain in Harderwijk. In 2017, the park had already stopped actively breeding dolphins. This is because there are currently enough in the park and in Europe.

The shows are also being adjusted. Unnatural behaviors are removed as much as possible.

Going on a photo with dolphins or sea lions for a fee still remains, although visitors are no longer allowed to touch the animals. In addition, an educational lesson is associated with each photo opportunity.
Click to expand...

Presumably the eight dolphins leaving will be all but the two oldest of the ten bachelors living in the show dome...?
 
29-year old female Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Olympia was euthanized due to age related illnesses. She gave birth to 4 young: 2 currently live in Marineland Antibes (France), 1 in Pairi Daiza and 1 (Yuki) still lives in the Dolfinarium.

Source:
Instagram of Dolfinarium Harderwijk (06/05/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/COhwFIYNJ50/
 
I do not know if the general thread to harderwijl is the right place to not this or if a new thread should be created but in case of the later please feel free to move the comment.

MennoPebesma said:
A number of changes to the Dolfinarium were announced today at a press conference. The changes are a response to a critical report from the Ministry of Nature.

Two walruses, eight bottlenose dolphins and two California sea lions are moving to Hainan Ocean Paradise in China, probably in late 2021 or early 2022. A new home is being sought for the other two walruses.

By moving these animals to another park, more space is created for the remaining animals. For example, plans are now being made to move the Steller sea lions to the walrus enclosure. The current Steller sea lion enclosure would be too small and too shallow, according to the report.
Click to expand...

I have a few questions
What excatly went down between the park and the stichting dolfijn?

Can not tell if this is my impression but it seemed like a sort of separation happened over time between the traditional zoological gardens that once kept marine species and those parks that are specialized.
Tho I could not give an example, I had the impression that this drift apart was fueled by the issue of public perception and an internal discrepance. That separation seemed to have fueled a false association that all marrine parks are unprofessional institutions that used animals for shows.

From the public statements harderwijk is and has been in my opion not a professional scientific oriented institutions, and rather oriented themself on an outdated mentality that put the human satisfaction at its core.

I could understand in amy way how they clinged to bottlenose dolphins, when they seemed have had the possibility to show rescued specimens both short and long term.

Neither all species nor specimen are either made or nor made for captivity.

There are a lot of species and themse they could have shown.

To send surplus animals to china id beypnd irresposible and damage not just their reputation but also that od marine parks all together.

They have pretty much the only proper breeding group for stellers sealion, an endangered species that is constantly overlooked and ignored because they require more space and mean a bigger potential threat to keepers.

I do not support the mixture of rides and a zoological institution.
 
On 14 August, a common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca) was born in the aquarium. This is the first time a stingray has been born at the Dolfinarium. This birth is extra unique because there seems to be asexual reproduction. This means that the female has fertilised herself, without the help of a male. The newborn female has been moved to her own basin behind the scenes.

Source: Facebook Dolfinarium
 
MennoPebesma said:
On 14 August, a common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca) was born in the aquarium. This is the first time a stingray has been born at the Dolfinarium. This birth is extra unique because there seems to be asexual reproduction. This means that the female has fertilised herself, without the help of a male. The newborn female has been moved to her own basin behind the scenes.

Source: Facebook Dolfinarium
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the animal has not survived, according to Dutch media.

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On the 3rd of September female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus truncatus) Maaike has been euthanized. She was born in 1983 and came to Harderwijk she was still very young. She played in the show DolfijndoMijn and was later one of the first residence of the Dolfijndelta (Dolphin delta/lake). There she raised multiple young, three (Yola, Nalu and Baya) are still present in the Dolfinarium.

Source:
Instagram of Dolfinarium Harderwijk (05/09/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTb5Fh7gXY9/
 
Does anyone know which dolphins are going to Hainan? I only know based off of permits that 1.0 T'salka and 0.1 Indy are going as the oldest and youngest of the 8 to be exported, respectively, leaving 7.5 open as options (T'lisala, Yola, Liya, Palawas, Balasi, Nalu, Rif, Storm, King, Baya, Zoe, and Daisy) and excluding 8.4 who are confirmed to be staying at the park (Honey, Molly, Prince, Tucker, Juno, Nemo, Roxy, Apollo, Nando, Joker, Finagain, and James).
 
On 18 October, 40-year-old walrus Olga died. The oldest female of the group was suffering from age-related problems such as osteoarthritis in the shoulders, inflammation of the whiskers and persistent stomach complaints. As a result, the vet decided to euthanise her. Olga came to Harderwijk from SeaWorld Orlando in 1985. In the years she lived at the Dolphinarium, she had two offspring. Her first young, Nikolai, was the first walrus born under human care in Europe. The Dolfinarium now houses three walruses. They will leave for China in due course.

Sources: Facebook Dolfinarium & Dolfinarium Harderwijk in rouw: iconische walrus Olga is niet meer. 'Zachtaardige oma die je wist te raken'
 
Let's give this one a boost! Few days ago the theatre was back in use, a mermaid play was in there but sadly after a few days it already stopped again. Now the theatre is empty again. They really have to come up with something to make the theatre useful again.
 
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