Dubai Dolphinarium is the first fully air-conditioned indoor

dolphinarium A dolphinarium is an aquarium for dolphins. The dolphins are usually kept in a pool, though occasionally they may be kept in pens in the open sea, either for research or public performances. Some dolphinariums consist of one pool where dolphins pe ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, providing habitat to

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s and

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

, allowing the public to watch and interact with them through live shows and photo sessions. It is located in the creek side park at

Bur Dubai Bur Dubai (in Arabic: بر دبي) is a historic district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name literally translates to ''Mainland Dubai'', a reference to the traditional separation of the Bur ...

near the Children's City. Dubai Dolphinarium was opened on May 21, 2008 by

Dubai Municipality Dubai Municipality ( ar, بلدية دبي) is the Government of Dubai municipal body with jurisdiction over city services and the upkeep of facilities in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates and reports directly to the Dubai Executive Co ...

, and is sponsored and supported by Dubai government to provide the general public with entertainment and also educate them regarding dolphins, seals and other marine organisms. It was also reflected that interacting with such friendly

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s like dolphins will motivate young generation to protect marine life and the environment.

Facilities

Dubai Dolphinarium is a modern marine facility with around 1250 seating capacity. The Dolphins have their own private habitat area with of sea water connected to the main arena pool. There is a separate medical pool and seal pool constructed considering well-being of these marine mammals. The dolphinarium complex also features group and kids activities, birthday parties for kids, school field trips, group events, trampoline, swim with dolphins, mirror maze, bird show, a restaurant providing quick and fun meals for kids and a mini 5-D & 7D cinema theater.

Marine mammals

Dubai Dolphinarium is home to

bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...

s and

Northern fur seal The northern fur seal (''Callorhinus ursinus'') is an eared seal found along the north Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk. It is the largest member of the fur seal subfamily (Arctocephalinae) and the only living species in the ...

s. These dolphins and seals were reportedly bought from a country belonging to the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...

, an alliance of 11 former

Soviet republics The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...

Activities

Various activities like kids

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

and Dubai Summer Surprises are held at the Dubai Dolphinarium every year during summer holidays. Dubai Dolphinarium in association with Dubai Municipality organized an Autism Awareness Day from various autism care centres and training centres for children with special needs on April 28, 2011. Dubai Dolphinarium welcomed its one millionth visitor during March, 2012 and various promotional activities were featured during this period.

Management

This establishment is managed by a staff of 60 including mammal trainers and customer supporting staff.

Criticisms

Dubai Dolphinarium had come under criticism from various animal welfare campaigners in the beginning saying, it would lead to suffering and high dolphin mortality. Activists also questioned the source of its black sea bottlenose dolphins, claiming that one of them was not born in captivity but rescued from fishermen's nets, and therefore should have been re-released. However the management has countered these criticisms stating that the dolphins in Dubai Dolphinarium are third generation dolphins who were born in artificial conditions and are perfectly happy in their current environment and role, and are healthier all year round than their wild counterparts.

References

External links

* {{authority control Aquaria in the United Arab Emirates Buildings and structures in Dubai Tourist attractions in Dubai 2008 establishments in the United Arab Emirates Zoos in the United Arab Emirates Dolphinariums Zoos established in 2008