We are an expert-led, independent platform dedicated to defining viable solutions for captive cetaceans and what alternative solutions or sanctuary models would look like for them.

A future in which cetaceans in human care can benefit from coordinated and responsible management to face societal and regulatory changes.

The Challenges

Across Europe and globally, cetaceans in human care are at the centre of growing political, public and financial pressure, yet the sector lacks credible, well-recognised solutions for the animals involved.

Sanctuaries are increasingly proposed as a solution, but limited experience and shared data on animal outcomes make them fragile and subject to recurring scrutiny.
Dolphinariums, meanwhile, face a difficult situation with few possibilities to relocate individuals, a weak public image, and limited space in sanctuaries.
Policymakers face fragmented, sometimes conflicting information shaped by advocacy or industry interests.

Our core areas

Sanctuary Initiatives

Supporting the credibility and technical quality of cetacean sanctuaries, from feasibility and site assessment through design, permitting and construction to long-term welfare monitoring. As sanctuaries become the preferred destination for animals leaving conventional facilities, their credibility depends on early projects being well conceived, and on their lessons being shared rather than lost.

Dolphinarium Initiatives

Supporting facilities considering a transition to a different operational model, such as the 'Dolphins First' pledge, while maintaining high welfare for the animals involved throughout. This includes transition planning, lifetime care commitments, and relocation assessments when genuinely in the animals' best interests. It fills a gap left by decisions often made under financial or regulatory pressure, without access to independent technical support.

Policy
Initiatives

Providing independent, evidence-based input to institutions shaping legislation on cetaceans in human care, and to those seeking solutions after legislation leads to facility closure. This includes briefings, consultation responses, and criteria for what counts as a credible sanctuary or viable solution. Most legislation currently offers no definition of a sanctuary or acceptable captive conditions, leaving both projects and regulators without firm ground.

Who we are

We are scientists, veterinarians, animal management experts, and policy specialists working together to support credible, humane, and evidence-based discussions on solutions to cetacean captivity and structures providing lifetime care for dolphins without entertainment or breeding.

The Initiative is not an advocacy campaign. It is a neutral, evidence-based platform and is committed to credibility and to solutions that work for animals, facilities, and policymakers alike.