Plans for a new sea life aquarium at Rancho Texas made waves on Lanzarote last week, as the island’s largest theme park was picketed by locals protesting at proposals to create this new aquatic attraction.

The protest, staged last Saturday, was also part of a wider, worldwide initiative - Empty The Tanks - instigated by an amalgamation of animal welfare groups. Who staged co-ordinated action at 65 locations in 20 countries around the world, including venues such as Loro Parque in Tenerife and the Madrid Aquarium. In order to highlight the cruelty implicit in confining sentient and sociable animals such as dolphins in unnaturally constrained conditions.

The dolphinarium project elicited substantial negative comment on Rancho Texas’s Facebook page when first announced some months ago and local activists have indicated that protests will continue.