French environmental NGO urges government to take action over dead dolphins

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – A French environmental nongovernmental organization on Wednesday exposed hundreds of dolphins' photos in the center of Paris to urge the government to take action, local media reported.

Hundreds of dolphins were found dead on the Atlantic coasts of France in the past three months due to intensive fishing activities in the area, daily 20 minutes said.

Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the French League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), launched a petition campaign on Jan. 25, and more than 50,000 people signed the letter addressed to President Emmanuel Macron, asking him to prohibit fishing in the Gascogne Gulf from Jan. 15 to Mar. 15.

The NGO exposed 400 photos of dolphins in real dimensions at Les Invalides, a historical Paris square, to draw attention.

The LPO plans to file a complaint with the European Commission, seeking heavy sanctions against France via the European Court of Justice.

Bougrain-Dubourg also shared images of their demonstration on Twitter and called on Macron to "stop the unbearable massacre of the dolphins."