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Mexico’s Congress on Thursday approved a ban on entertainment shows involving dolphins and other marine mammals, the lower house announced, delighting animal rights campaigners.<\/p>\n
The reform, which won unanimous support, has already been passed by the upper house and now goes to the president to be signed into law.<\/p>\n
It means that dolphinariums will be phased out in Mexico, which is home to eight percent of the world’s captive dolphins, according to figures published by Congress.<\/p>\n
Marine mammals will only be allowed to be caught in the wild or bred in captivity for conservation purposes.<\/p>\n
The NGO Humane World for Animals Mexico hailed the vote as “a decisive move toward ending the exploitation of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals for entertainment.”<\/p>\n
The ban marked “a major stride forward in animal welfare and conservation efforts in Mexico,” it added.<\/p>\n
The NGO said that there were an estimated 350 dolphins in captivity in Mexico that would now have to be relocated to sea pens.<\/p>\n
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