Work will start on the construction of the new dolphinarium in Dubai’s Creek Park next week.
The dolphinarium, which has attracted cristicism from animal rights groups, should open by the end of October next year, according to project manager Christopher Richardson.

The three dolphins aged 15, 17, and 19 will be moved from Royal Sergrex’s aquarium in the Ukraine to entertain crowds at Dubai’s Creek Park. The eight million dollar Dubai Marine World will also include a fish farm, a coral reef aquarium, a research and therapy centre and a centre called Gatorville. Another dolphinarium is being planned at The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

Richardson dismissed the controversy over the plans, saying the dolphins were born in captivity. “These are third generation dolphins who were born in artificial conditions and don’t know what it’s like to be in the wild,”

The dolphins would not be able to survive in the wild, he said, citing dolphins that were set free after being trained by the US and Russian navies. “Dolphins started coming around fishing boats begging for food because they are used to being fed by humans,” he said.

The dolphins will be well looked after, he said, with a full time vet and three trainers. It will cost $40,000 a month to care for each animal, he said. Entry to the indoor facility will cost dhs35, with discounts offered for school children.

“We came up with several pricing schemes to accommodate low income people because every child should see the dolphins,” said Richardson. The announcement of the 1,500-seat stadium in May angered animal rights groups.

“Confinement in captivity of dolphins can alter their behaviour so radically that captives cannot depict a true sense of their species,” said Cathy Williamson, captivity campaigner for the UK based Whales and Dolphin Conservation Society at the time.