New footage released by non-profit animal rescue organization Animals Asia appears to show dolphins struggling to breathe as they’re left out of the water for long periods of time by an Indonesian travelling circus.
While the dolphin appears to gasp for its breath, bears perform pull-ups and ride a bicycle while an otter balances on a rolling apparatus. At the end of the show, circus patrons crowded around the dolphin to snap selfies before it was sent back into the water.
The footage was shot at performances in East Java and West Sumatra in early March.
Animals Asia called the footage proof of a “new low” for travelling circuses, showing that the dolphins spend most of the circus performance out of the water.
“Although they are mammals and breathe air like humans, dolphins have not evolved to spend time out [of] water,” said the group’s animal welfare director Dave Neale. “The lack of buoyancy can lead to pressure on the lungs, which can cause respiratory problems, and the rapid dehydration can have a negative impact on their skin.”
The organization wrote that Indonesia has three travelling circuses, with a total of around 70 dolphins.
They’re petitioning for Sriwijawa Air, an Indonesian airline that flies these animal from site to site, to “end their complicity with this animal cruelty.”
Attempts to contact the airline were not returned by the time of publishing. A phone call made to their head office ended in a hang-up.
According to various animal welfare groups and experts, dolphins kept in captivity for the purpose of entertainment are subject to shorter lifespans and are often kept in unnatural and poor conditions.