The world’s first permanent sanctuary for dolphins who have been rescued from captivity was founded recently by the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation on the tiny island of Lipsi, in the eastern Aegean.

The sanctuary, was created in the hope of giving these rescued creatures a safe place to live out their lives, as well as to end the exploitation of the intelligent mammals in zoos and marinas around the world.
The local community has welcomed the project, which involves not only the protected part of the bay but also a center providing veterinary medical care, research facilities and an environmental information center.
The dolphins will be under surveillance in a safe environment and monitored until they reacquire their hunting instinct. Only then will they be able to be released back into their natural environment.