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ARMENIA: ANIMAL RIGHTS DEBATE BUILDING IN YEREVAN
by Marianna Grigoryan
EurasiaNet.org
Nov 8 2010
NY
An animal rights debate is building in Armenia, centering on plans to
open a dolphinarium in Yerevan. Local environmental activists and some
city residents contend that the project's owner, who remains anonymous,
is prepared to sacrifice marine mammal welfare and environmental
sustainability for the sake of commercial gain.
The dolphinarium, which will come with four dolphins, two fur seals
and one sea lion, is expected to open on December 15 in Yerevan's
Komitas Park. Able to handle 900 guests, it will be open-air in summer
and covered with a glass dome when the weather becomes cooler.
The Yerevan city government has presented the dolphinarium as a way to
jumpstart the park's rehabilitation. The grounds, which also contain
the tombs of prominent Armenian cultural figures, have become derelict
in recent years.
"Dolphinariums are wonderful recreation sites in many developed cities
of the world," the Yerevan mayor's office observed in a September 30
statement. "Yerevan should also have such a nice place of leisure."
The structure is not a first for the Caucasus; a dolphinarium opened
last month in Baku as well.
But while some Yerevan residents say they are excited by the prospect
of seeing dolphins "in real life," the dolphinarium's plans to
have five-meter-deep, 36-meter-wide tank is sparking concern. Local
ecologists and environmentalists argue that Armenia does not have the
right conditions for holding sea mammals in captivity. "How are they
going to feed them in a country without a sea -- with frozen fish?"
asked Silva Adamian, the head of an alliance of 50 non-governmental
organizations that oppose the dolphinarium.
The dolphinarium's glass dome does little to reassure Adamian and the
alliance that the dolphinarium's inhabitants will be easily able to
survive Yerevan's winter temperatures of 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-9
degrees Celsius). "We must do our best to protect the interests of
these mammals," said Adamian, head of the Bird Center, a Yerevan-based
NGO.
Transporting the dolphins, fur seals and sea lion to Armenia could
prove another challenge. Land access to the country is possible only
via mountain roads through Georgia and Iran. The Ukrainian company
charged with building the dolphinarium declined to discuss with
EurasiaNet.org details about how the mammals would be delivered to
Yerevan, or their country of origin.
The identity of the owner of the dolphinarium also remains unclear.
The order to clear Komitas Park for the building's construction was
given by Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglarian, but the city has no ownership
stake in the project. The pro-opposition news outlet A1 had earlier
reported that Beglarian's predecessor, Yervand Zakharian, owns the
property, but the reports could not be independently confirmed.
The lack of transparency over the dolphinarium's ownership has
created a potential stumbling block for opponents of the project. In
late September, the anti-dolphinarium NGO alliance sent letters
to the mayor's office and Ministry of Environmental Protection,
expressing concern about the dolphinarium and requesting a project
review by experts who can testify that the sea mammals can survive
in Yerevan's climate. The group also requested to see documents
authorizing the import of the four dolphins to Armenia and their use
in an entertainment center. Alliance members say they have not yet
received a response.
The chief executive officer of the Ukrainian company building the
Yerevan dolphinarium maintains that the dolphinarium will contain
the right living conditions for the dolphins, fur seals and sea lion.
"Armenia's climate is favorable for sea mammals. I confirm this,"
said Alexander Merlian, head of Nerum, which has built dolphinariums
in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Odessa and Kharkov. "I don't have an
opinion from experts, but I have read some literature and I know that
the climate is suitable. If the environmentalists disagree with this,
that's their opinion."
Merlian conceded that the project faces "both subjective and objective"
challenges, as well as "both internal and external" obstacles, but
said that the problems are not expected to delay the dolphinarium's
opening. He did not elaborate.
Like other alliance members, the chairman of the Greens Union of
Armenia, Hakob Sanasarian, suspects that environmental well-being
will ultimately play second fiddle to commercial profit for project
stakeholders. "This is a well-known practice: First, turn the park
into a dump, abandon the grounds, then cut down the trees and destroy
the flora, put aside ethics, and build an entertainment area next to
the Pantheon," said Sanasarian. "Is this at all acceptable?"
The lack of public discussion about how the project will affect
Yerevan's longstanding shortage of indoor water supplies has added
to that skepticism. Some city residents wonder if the 1,500 cubic
meters of water required for the dolphinarium's tank will come at
their own expense.
"I'm carrying water from the yard in buckets in the morning and
in the evening, and they will spare no water for the dolphins,
right?" fumed 50-year-old homemaker Hamest Yeghoian. "Do you think
that's reasonable?"
Yerevan's government-run water company, Yerevan Djur, maintains that
the dolphinarium will not infringe upon the water needs of Yerevan's
1.1 million human residents. "They will also become [our] client,"
said Yerevan Djur spokesperson Murad Sargsian in reference to the
dolphinarium, "but we must manage it so that others do not suffer."
Despite those assurances, the NGO alliance pledges to keep on fighting
against Yerevan's dolphinarium. "Armenia's climate is tough, and,
therefore, not suitable for dolphins. It's clear they will exploit
these mammals for two to three years to reimburse their expenses, and
they don't care what happens next," charged Adamian, in reference to
the dolphinarium's unknown owner. "But we'll do our best to prevent
this."
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based
in Yerevan
From: A. Papazian
by Marianna Grigoryan
EurasiaNet.org
Nov 8 2010
NY
An animal rights debate is building in Armenia, centering on plans to
open a dolphinarium in Yerevan. Local environmental activists and some
city residents contend that the project's owner, who remains anonymous,
is prepared to sacrifice marine mammal welfare and environmental
sustainability for the sake of commercial gain.
The dolphinarium, which will come with four dolphins, two fur seals
and one sea lion, is expected to open on December 15 in Yerevan's
Komitas Park. Able to handle 900 guests, it will be open-air in summer
and covered with a glass dome when the weather becomes cooler.
The Yerevan city government has presented the dolphinarium as a way to
jumpstart the park's rehabilitation. The grounds, which also contain
the tombs of prominent Armenian cultural figures, have become derelict
in recent years.
"Dolphinariums are wonderful recreation sites in many developed cities
of the world," the Yerevan mayor's office observed in a September 30
statement. "Yerevan should also have such a nice place of leisure."
The structure is not a first for the Caucasus; a dolphinarium opened
last month in Baku as well.
But while some Yerevan residents say they are excited by the prospect
of seeing dolphins "in real life," the dolphinarium's plans to
have five-meter-deep, 36-meter-wide tank is sparking concern. Local
ecologists and environmentalists argue that Armenia does not have the
right conditions for holding sea mammals in captivity. "How are they
going to feed them in a country without a sea -- with frozen fish?"
asked Silva Adamian, the head of an alliance of 50 non-governmental
organizations that oppose the dolphinarium.
The dolphinarium's glass dome does little to reassure Adamian and the
alliance that the dolphinarium's inhabitants will be easily able to
survive Yerevan's winter temperatures of 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-9
degrees Celsius). "We must do our best to protect the interests of
these mammals," said Adamian, head of the Bird Center, a Yerevan-based
NGO.
Transporting the dolphins, fur seals and sea lion to Armenia could
prove another challenge. Land access to the country is possible only
via mountain roads through Georgia and Iran. The Ukrainian company
charged with building the dolphinarium declined to discuss with
EurasiaNet.org details about how the mammals would be delivered to
Yerevan, or their country of origin.
The identity of the owner of the dolphinarium also remains unclear.
The order to clear Komitas Park for the building's construction was
given by Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglarian, but the city has no ownership
stake in the project. The pro-opposition news outlet A1 had earlier
reported that Beglarian's predecessor, Yervand Zakharian, owns the
property, but the reports could not be independently confirmed.
The lack of transparency over the dolphinarium's ownership has
created a potential stumbling block for opponents of the project. In
late September, the anti-dolphinarium NGO alliance sent letters
to the mayor's office and Ministry of Environmental Protection,
expressing concern about the dolphinarium and requesting a project
review by experts who can testify that the sea mammals can survive
in Yerevan's climate. The group also requested to see documents
authorizing the import of the four dolphins to Armenia and their use
in an entertainment center. Alliance members say they have not yet
received a response.
The chief executive officer of the Ukrainian company building the
Yerevan dolphinarium maintains that the dolphinarium will contain
the right living conditions for the dolphins, fur seals and sea lion.
"Armenia's climate is favorable for sea mammals. I confirm this,"
said Alexander Merlian, head of Nerum, which has built dolphinariums
in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Odessa and Kharkov. "I don't have an
opinion from experts, but I have read some literature and I know that
the climate is suitable. If the environmentalists disagree with this,
that's their opinion."
Merlian conceded that the project faces "both subjective and objective"
challenges, as well as "both internal and external" obstacles, but
said that the problems are not expected to delay the dolphinarium's
opening. He did not elaborate.
Like other alliance members, the chairman of the Greens Union of
Armenia, Hakob Sanasarian, suspects that environmental well-being
will ultimately play second fiddle to commercial profit for project
stakeholders. "This is a well-known practice: First, turn the park
into a dump, abandon the grounds, then cut down the trees and destroy
the flora, put aside ethics, and build an entertainment area next to
the Pantheon," said Sanasarian. "Is this at all acceptable?"
The lack of public discussion about how the project will affect
Yerevan's longstanding shortage of indoor water supplies has added
to that skepticism. Some city residents wonder if the 1,500 cubic
meters of water required for the dolphinarium's tank will come at
their own expense.
"I'm carrying water from the yard in buckets in the morning and
in the evening, and they will spare no water for the dolphins,
right?" fumed 50-year-old homemaker Hamest Yeghoian. "Do you think
that's reasonable?"
Yerevan's government-run water company, Yerevan Djur, maintains that
the dolphinarium will not infringe upon the water needs of Yerevan's
1.1 million human residents. "They will also become [our] client,"
said Yerevan Djur spokesperson Murad Sargsian in reference to the
dolphinarium, "but we must manage it so that others do not suffer."
Despite those assurances, the NGO alliance pledges to keep on fighting
against Yerevan's dolphinarium. "Armenia's climate is tough, and,
therefore, not suitable for dolphins. It's clear they will exploit
these mammals for two to three years to reimburse their expenses, and
they don't care what happens next," charged Adamian, in reference to
the dolphinarium's unknown owner. "But we'll do our best to prevent
this."
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based
in Yerevan
From: A. Papazian