INDONESIA - Amid mounting public pressure demanding the government to stop the exploitation of dolphins for entertainment, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan finally caved in.

On Wednesday afternoon, he visited Akame Dolphin Bay Restaurant, a tourist spot near Benoa Port, and announced that he would shut down its dolphin attraction.

He ordered his staff to confiscate the dolphins and to immediately move them to the Dolphin Rehabilitation Center in Kemujan, Karimun Jawa.

"We will release them back into their natural habitat but we have to complete some observations before doing so," Zulkifli said.

The floating restaurant, which is shaped like a ship and has a 130 square-meter pool in the middle, attracted hundreds of tourists who came to watch the dolphin show every day at the facility that was opened four months ago.

The 1.7 meter-long dolphins were estimated to be seven to nine years old. They were caught in the northern part of Java sea.

The Akame Dolphin bay restaurant had pocketed a permit that was issued by Wesut Seguni Indonesia, a Central Java based conservation organisation.

Zulkifli deplored that the management of Akame Dolphin Bay Restaurant had placed the dolphins in a bad environment.

"This environment is not suitable for dolphins. Wild life will be better for them," he said.

Zulkifli admitted that the Akame Dolphin Bay Restaurant had a permit for the entertainment activities.

"The existing rule actually gives permission for these kind of activities. But I understand that many people have criticised this sort of activity. Many people have protested via Twitter. This attraction received the attention of the international community. Therefore, we believe that it should be stopped," he stressed.

Indonesia is regarded as home to the world's last remaining traveling dolphin circuses.