Anger at Walliams’ ‘cruel’ dolphin kiss snap
DAvID Walliams has faced a backlash from animal activists after sharing a picture of himself kissing a dolphin.
The comedian and children’s author was holidaying in Dubai when he nuzzled up to the mammal in a pool. He posted the image on Instagram yesterday with the caption ‘kiss’.
But within hours the Britain’s Got Talent judge was bombarded with comments from angry fans, who claimed the picture was promoting animal cruelty. One Instagram user wrote: ‘This is so disappointing to see. These creatures should not be kept in captivity and tortured!’
Another said: ‘Too sad. Dolphins should be in the wild and nowhere else. What a shame.’
A study published last year revealed that dolphins that swam with humans were less responsive to dangers and at greater risk of death when out in the wild.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation runs a campaign called Pledge Never to Plunge which encourages holidaymakers to boycott the activity. Its website says: ‘Dolphins and whales in captive settings suffer from their confinement, have high levels of stress, and often have dramatically shortened lives.’
But other fans of the Little Britain star, whose charity work has helped raised cash for Sport Relief, saw no harm in the snap. One wrote: ‘Simon Cowell has changed quite a bit lol’.
A representative for Walliams declined to comment.