A BRITISH company is to found the world’s first permanent dolphin sanctuary aimed at rehousing the captive animals that once entertained crowds in marine amusement parks and aquariums.

Merlin Entertainments, which operates Alton Towers and the London Eye, wants to create the sanctuary in a Mediterranean bay, using a network of underwater fences and nets. The sea bed would be equipped with 3D cameras so visitors on shore could see what the dolphins were doing without interfering with them.

The firm, which also runs 40 Sea Life centres and other aquarium-based attractions around the world, has been criticised for keeping dolphins, seven of which are split between two sites in Europe. The company says it acquired the animals by accident through its purchasing of other