Moscow Dolphinarium Turns into Torture Chamber for Dolphins

A second dolphin has reportedly died in the Moscow Dolphinarium, which has found itself in the middle of a property dispute.

Photo: Moscow Dolphinarium Turns into Torture Chamber for Dolphins

A 17-year-old male bottle-nose dolphin Kolya died in the dolphinarium on Wednesday night, the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper said. The new owners of the dolphinarium believe that the dolphin had been poisoned by someone linked with the previous administration of the dolphinarium.

Aleksey Pakhomov, the pool cleaner, said that the police were trying to force him to acknowledge that the mammal had been poisoned.

Mr. Pakhomov said that the dolphinarium employees were asked to take lie detector tests on October 11-12 to find out whether they were trying to cause damage to the new administration. Mr. Pakhomov’s answers were fixed as lies, and the man was taken to a criminal police office in Moscow.

There were four well-built plain-clothed men in the office. Pakhomov again told them that he had not given any poison pills to anyone and added that he had never fed the dolphins. The men started beating Aleksey. Aleksey fell down on his hands and knees, and one of the men sat on his back in an attempt to make him sign the statement.

Aleksey was eventually released and told that he would have to bring the adequate statement before October 15.

Pakhomov went to the nearest hospital to have his bruises documented and filed a complaint at law-enforcement authorities. Pakhomov’s lawyer, Olga Gonina, said that the new administration of the dolphinarium accused two other coaches of poisoning the dolphins.

The administration of the Moscow Dolphinarium changed in March of this year as a result of a long-term property dispute, which still continues.