No need to feel powerless
If you think this is impossible remember that just one year ago America elected an intelligent young Black man as their President.
Anything, but anything is possible!
There is only one way to stop this project and that as has already been said is to stop the money. We need to ‘persuade' the local govt to cancel this project and convince the company responsible that British Tourists are 100% against the Dolphinarium and will not go to or use it.
We can do any or all of the following; include facts where possible. Lots of info on the Facebook group.
1. See below for letter suggestion and contact details of local government officials:
2. Email the company responsible for this project and tell them you will not use or go to the Dolphinarium.
ibrahim Dilek personal assistant to Alesandr Kuznetsov general manager of Dolphintherapy Kas
dolphinparkkas@yahoo.com
3. Email your tour operator and the FTO (Federation of Tour Operators) and tell them you will boycott the Dolphinarium if it goes ahead and that you will not book local trips/tours through them if they have this on their books.
FTO Tel: 020-3117-0590 - Fax: 020-3117-0581 - Email: info@fto.co.uk
4. Email the advisers to the Turkish Ministry of Tourism on strategy and publicity in the UK
Directors Ceyda Sara Pekenc and Hulya Soylu
info@redmintcomms.co.uk
5. Email or phone Travel/Environmental journalists on your local and national UK paper. Coverage in the UK will draw attention to this at the highest level of Turkish government. Local papers are always looking for stories and many local stories can become national stories.
Tell them about this project and opposition to it (Facebook opposition group1000 + (soon will be) members in 3 days), give them some the facts like the ones listed in the letter below, remind them that in the UK there are NO such projects (something of which we can be proud) and that you believe whatever:. affect on tourism to Turkey etc etc.
6. If you know any national journalists use them or their contacts to get a story published.
7. Email the
www.wdcs.org at info@wdcs.org and urge them to get involved - take on a coordinating role.
8. Encourage everyone you know to do the same and join the Facebook group
A letter you can send/adapt to Kerramettin/the Governor and MPs for the area. See emails/fax numbers below
Dear Kerramettin/ Dr. Ahmet Altiparmak (delete as appropriate)
I am against the development of a Dolphinarium in Hisaronu and ask you to cancel this project as a matter of urgency. This project is damaging the reputation of Oludeniz well know as a conservation area of natural beauty and will affect the numbers of tourists coming to this part of Turkey.
The reaction by British people is 100% against this project to keep dolphins in a small pool as a holiday attraction. These opinions are expressed very forcibly on a number of international Internet Forums including Trip Advisor and Facebook. Many people are actively calling for a boycott of Hisaronu and Oludeniz as a holiday destination.
This will affect the many small businesses in the area that rely on tourism for their livelihoods and also have a long lasting negative affect on the local economy.
As someone who lives here/a tourist I will not use the Dolphinarium and I will tell other people to do the same. I will also tell them:
53% of those dolphins who survive the violent capture die within 90 days
The average life span of a dolphin in the wild is 45 years; yet half of all captured dolphins die within their first two years of captivity. The survivors last an average of only 5 years in captivity.
Every seven years, half of all dolphins in captivity die from capture shock, pneumonia, intestinal disease, ulcers, chlorine poisoning, and other stress-related illnesses. To the captive dolphin industry, these facts are accepted as routine operating expenses.
Source Dolphin Project Europe Captivity Fact Sheet
http://www.idw.org/html/dolphins_in_danger.htmlI urge you to consider the reputation of this beautiful area as a famous and popular tourist destination and the impact this will have on local businesses and economy and stop this Dolphinarium project.
Yours sincerely
The e mail address for Olu Deniz Beldiye Başkan, Kerramettin Yilmaz, is
baskan@oludeniz.bel.tr
Fax-0090 616 6387
Olu Deniz and Hisarönü come under the province of Mugla so here is the e mail address and details for the Mugla Vali (Province Governor) who is called Dr.Ahmet Altiparmak
mugla@icisleri.gov.tr
Fax-0090 252 214 3188
These are all the members of parliament for the area
ali.arslan@tbmm.gov.tr
gurolergin@tbmm.gov.tr
yuksel.ozden@tbmm.gov..tr
fevzi.topuz@bmm.gov.tr
