In Images: Tenerife protesters call for marine theme park to 'empty the tanks'
Several weeks after huge anti-mass tourism protests on the Spanish island of Tenerife, environmentalists have targeted one of the island’s main tourist attractions - the Loro Parque zoo and marine park - which is owned by a German millionaire.
Dozens of protesters gathered at the gates of Loro Parque in the touristy town of Puerto de La Cruz on Saturday, shouting “stop animal exploitation”.
Loro Parque is one of the top tourist attractions in Tenerife, starting off as a parrot sanctuary in 1972 but evolving into a zoo and SeaWorld-style marine complex which receives several million visitors a year.
The owner of Loro Parque is 87-year-old German national Wolfgang Kiessling, the wealthiest man in Tenerife with an estimated net worth of €370 million.
Loro Parque's owner Wolfgang Kiessling is the 169th wealthiest person in Spain. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)
Loro Park gained international notoriety after the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which looked at the treatment of killer whales in captivity, and which partly focused on the death of an orca trainer in 2009 at Tenerife's Loro Parque after being attacked by one of the animals.
Protesters carried signs that read “no to animal abuse”, “those born to swim in oceans should not do so in tears” and “don't lie to your child, there is no happiness in slavery”.
There are currently four orcas at Tenerife's Loro Parque. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)
The rally promoted by environmentalist group 'Empty the tanks' was held in 60 cities around the world on Saturday to demand the release of dolphins and orcas.
Protesters booed the Loro Parque train that took holidaymakers as it approached the facilities while showing them banners that read “tourist, what you pay is for slaughtered orcas” or “this shit at Loro Park is going to end” are other signs that were carried.
A half empty Loro Parque train faces the wrath of protesters calling for the park's orcas to be released. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)
In late April, Kiessling released a controversial video in which he attacked environmentalists, stating: “They want us to live like vegans, not to have pets, not to use leather bags or shoes, and they also want to influence our holidays so that we do not visit zoos”.
He added: “A new industry has been born. They call themselves environmentalists, but they are not. They are just people in search of wealth. They want to change our world, live vegan, not wear wool, not drink milk, not ride horses, not have pets, not visit zoos”.
The Loro Parque has received large subsidies from the Canary government and benefited from tax incentives that allows them to pay taxes on only 10 percent of the profits.
Billboards and dustbins across the island have promotional posters of Loro Parque on them, describing it as "the must-see of the Canaries".
A sign reads "Is suffering educational?" at another "Empty the Tanks" protest held outside Loro Parque in 2015. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP)
The animal rights protest against Loro Parque comes just four weeks after thousands of canarios took to the streets of their eight islands to call for an end to mass tourism.
READ ALSO: 'The island can't take it anymore': Why Tenerife is rejecting mass tourism
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Dozens of protesters gathered at the gates of Loro Parque in the touristy town of Puerto de La Cruz on Saturday, shouting “stop animal exploitation”.
Loro Parque is one of the top tourist attractions in Tenerife, starting off as a parrot sanctuary in 1972 but evolving into a zoo and SeaWorld-style marine complex which receives several million visitors a year.
The owner of Loro Parque is 87-year-old German national Wolfgang Kiessling, the wealthiest man in Tenerife with an estimated net worth of €370 million.
Loro Park gained international notoriety after the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which looked at the treatment of killer whales in captivity, and which partly focused on the death of an orca trainer in 2009 at Tenerife's Loro Parque after being attacked by one of the animals.
Protesters carried signs that read “no to animal abuse”, “those born to swim in oceans should not do so in tears” and “don't lie to your child, there is no happiness in slavery”.
The rally promoted by environmentalist group 'Empty the tanks' was held in 60 cities around the world on Saturday to demand the release of dolphins and orcas.
Protesters booed the Loro Parque train that took holidaymakers as it approached the facilities while showing them banners that read “tourist, what you pay is for slaughtered orcas” or “this shit at Loro Park is going to end” are other signs that were carried.
In late April, Kiessling released a controversial video in which he attacked environmentalists, stating: “They want us to live like vegans, not to have pets, not to use leather bags or shoes, and they also want to influence our holidays so that we do not visit zoos”.
He added: “A new industry has been born. They call themselves environmentalists, but they are not. They are just people in search of wealth. They want to change our world, live vegan, not wear wool, not drink milk, not ride horses, not have pets, not visit zoos”.
The Loro Parque has received large subsidies from the Canary government and benefited from tax incentives that allows them to pay taxes on only 10 percent of the profits.
Billboards and dustbins across the island have promotional posters of Loro Parque on them, describing it as "the must-see of the Canaries".
The animal rights protest against Loro Parque comes just four weeks after thousands of canarios took to the streets of their eight islands to call for an end to mass tourism.
READ ALSO: 'The island can't take it anymore': Why Tenerife is rejecting mass tourism
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