Dolphins' playful moments amuse viewers in Konyaaltı


A group of playful dolphins, seals and whales are performing tricks for tourists in the coastal city of Antalya, entertaining visitors mainly from Serbia, Germany and Ukraine. "Micky," "Mobik" and "Mishenya," an aquatic center's three dolphins, have daily performances for visitors. The dolphins play with balls or jump from circles and try to make musical notes. They can also paint and like making sounds when someone holds a microphone to them. They even sometimes try a high jump.A white whale at the center starts the performance by ringing a bell, and it can dance according to the rhythms of the viewers' claps. The whale also amuses itself by throwing balls at spectators. Under the guidance of instructors, the whale and dolphins play together with spectators. Each performance generally takes an hour.While whales at the center consume 30 kilograms of fish every day, dolphins eat between 10 to15 kilograms of fish daily. All animals are trained and they are kept in good conditions.Antone Tat, a Russian tourist in Antalya, said he frequently travels to Turkey for summer vacations and visits the performance center to enjoy himself. "I come here with different traveler groups. They are really funny and entertaining," Tat said.Leyla Hüseyinova is another tourist from Azerbaijan who comes to see the whales' tricks. "This is my first time that I am watching their performance. The children here quite like them I think," she said. Drogana Yelkiç, a staff member from a travel agency, said they organize group visits and take tourists to the performance center. "This year, Balkan tourists from Bosnia, Montenegro and Croatia have shown a great interest in dolphins and seals," Yelkiç said.