Indonesia: Activists Urge a Boycott of Circus Shows That Use Dolphins

Nandra Galang Anissa Jakarta Globe 20 Jul 12;

After urging Garuda Indonesia to rethink its transport of dolphins for traveling circuses, activists from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network are calling on other companies to end their support for circuses.

“We strongly urge companies such as Hero [supermarkets] to no longer provide their parking lot for the traveling shows,” Coki, the guitarist with the band Netral, said in a petition released on Thursday on behalf of the JAAN.

The petition had received more than 470 signatures as of Thursday evening.

Coki said he was moved to join the movement after witnessing the condition of the dolphins.

“They were in containers that exactly fit the width of their body, and rubbed with Vaseline to keep them moist,” he said.

Pramudya Hazani from JAAN said that the circus performances put the animals’ health at risk. After enduring stress from the long hours in cramped containers and then being placed into heavily-chlorinated pools, the dolphins have to put on at least five shows a night.

“Sometimes they run until 9 or 11 o’clock in the evening,” Pramudya said.

“These dolphins are treated as a cash machine to cover this circus’s costs.”

Other companies urged to pull their support for the circuses are supermarket chains LotteMart and Carrefour, as well as bottled tea producer Sosro.

Carrefour has already responded.

“From now on, we will not lease the parking lots of our stores to these circuses,” said Joko Arif, Carrefour’s sustainable-development manager.

Coki welcomed the statement, saying “We really hope other corporations will follow Carrefour’s steps.”

Garuda, which until recently transported dolphins, was threatened with a boycott and said it would review its policy on transporting live animals.