More than 200 people arrived Saturday at the Dolphin Bay Phuket to witness the first show of the new marine park, despite the controversy surrounding the venue.
The show started at 10:30am, with many parents bringing their children to view the spectacle of dolphins guided by trainers, performing tricks and aerial stunts with balls and hoops.
Many of the visitors at the morning show, which was reserved exclusively for Thais, gave glowing reviews of the performance to reporters at the scene.
Supreecha Suthamanondh, general manager of Phuket Aqua Project Co. Ltd., said Dolphin Bay will open to the public tomorrow with promotional entry prices for the entire month of November.
Five dolphins and two seals flown in from the Ukraine arrived at the THB100mn Nemo marine park two weeks ago, amid much controversy.
However, online campaigns against the facility produced copies of documents showing the company allegedly obtained at least some of the dolphins from Japan, renowned for the infamous annual dolphin slaughter and capture for entrainment businesses at Taiji Cove.
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