A petition against a New Year’s Eve party to be held at Durban’s uShaka Marine World has drawn over 7 000 signatures, according to a blog.
In a statement, on blog called no blue no green, the online petition, launched via the Avaaz.org website, was to be delivered to city manager Sibusiso Sithole Tuesday.
It was initiated after consultation with independent marine biologists about the possible harm that an event of this nature could cause to marine life at the facility. The petition follows on the deaths of two dolphins after a similar event at Connyland in Switzerland last year, and activists have cited the negative effects of loud noise and strobe lighting on captive marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises and large fish such as sharks.
Reports stated that the event had been given ’the green light’ by the NSPCA, but the society denied that it had given the event its approval and stated on its Facebook page that, despite assurances given by the organisers, both the public and the NSPCA still ‘had concerns’ about the rave.
Attempts to contact uShaka Marine World for comment were unsuccessful.
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