Loro Parque rejects any type of animal training practice suggested in the video released by Animal Naturalis and is convinced that Marineland Mallorca is considered to be a prestigious organization, which would never allow this type of practice or attitude towards the animals. In this respect, and without entering into the veracity of the images, Loro Parque distances itself totally from this form of training, which would never be permitted in our organization. Our animals are trained exclusively by means of positive reinforcement are treated with absolute love and respect.
With the same forcefulness, Loro Parque condemns any type of practice and treatment of animals which does not comply with the principal standard of care based on respect and love towards any living being that is under human care and, for this reason, makes public its absolute disagreement with the forms and style of training perpetrated by those zoos that do not meet these premises.
Loro Parque has therefore been in contact with the relevant professional organizations (AIZA and EAAM) to check the truthfulness of the complaint and, in the event of it being true, that they take appropriate disciplinary action. A zoo that would allow such treatment of dolphins, or any other animal under its care, should not be part of the professional associations that seek excellence in education, research, conservation and animal welfare.
Loro Parque has always been extremely diligent in complying with the regulations in force for zoos in relation to the care of animals and the protocols of care and safety, and has never exercised any type of physical or psychological abuse of its animals. For this reason it was the first zoo in the world to obtain the Animal Embassy certificate, awarded by the Institute for Responsible Tourism (linked to UNESCO), in addition to the ISO 9000, EMAS and ISO 14000 certificates which evaluate environmental quality.
Environmental education
Each year 700 million people visit zoos around the world, which have evolved to become effective tools for the conservation of nature. In this sense the EU Zoos Directive is intended to promote the most positive activities of zoos to raise their beneficial effect on the conservation of biodiversity, through the actions of environmental education, conservation and research.
In Loro Parque, animal presentations are part of the tools of awareness and education. In the more than 1,000 educational impact surveys that are conducted randomly each year, visitors to Loro Parque show a great fondness for the animals and the vast majority are surprised by the intelligence of the animals and the great variety of behaviours that they show.
