Activists protest the death of four dolphins in an aquarium in Arizona

Activists defending animals They demonstrated this Saturday against the exteriors of a dolphinarium in Arizona (USA) in which four of these aquatic mammals have died in the last 16 months., a circumstance that put the recreation center under federal investigation.

The event took place on the same day as Dolphin Quest, who lends some of the dolphins to the center, announced the end of his contract with Dolphinaris Arizona, the center of attractions in which the dolphins perished.

With posters with messages such as "Captivity kills", "We do not want dolphins in the desert", "Cruelty is not entertainment", Protesters demanded that the four dolphins still in Dolphinaris, Arizona, be sent to a marine sanctuary as soon as possible.

"From the beginning, we knew that the desert was not a place for dolphins, these animals are exploited to death", said today to Efe Christina Johnson, one of the protesters.

The phytosanitary inspection service of the Ministry of Agriculture declared Friday, they "work on the next step to follow" after the events that took place in the dolphinarium.

For its part, Dolphin Quest, the company that lends dolphins to Dolphinaris Arizona, said today in a press release to have concluded the contract with the dolphinarium and evaluate what will happen with two of their dolphins still in the center .

Dolphinaris Arizona, in the city of Scottsdale, began operations in October 2016 with eight dolphins, four of whom died.

The last death occurred last Thursday. On that day, the dolphinarium realized that Kai, the 22-year-old dolphin, had to be shot after being seriously ill for two weeks.

"We recognize that losing four dolphins in the last 18 months is not normal"said Christian Schaeffer, director of Dolphinaris Arizona in a press release.

He said that they are taking all measures to intensify their joint efforts to ensure that dolphins have a good quality of life, an insufficient promise for animal defenders.

"The main problem is that the desert is not a place for dolphins, they can not live in a concrete pool near a highway."said Jeannette McCourt, an activist with the Dolphin Free Az group, organizer of the event.

Kai's death came a month after the death of another 11-year-old dolphin, Khloe. due to a complication of a parasite.

Alia, 10, died of a bacterial infection last May and soon after, Bodie died of a rare muscle diseasewhen I was seven years old.

They were all big-nosed dolphins, which can lead to life between 30 and 40 years in its natural habitat and is one of the most popular dolphin species.

With information from EFE