Successful open day at the Dolphin Centre in Piran as part of the EU Project, My Project 2024 competition

On Thursday, 20 June 2024, the Dolphin Centre in Piran held a very successful open day as part of the EU Project, My Project 2024 competition. The Dolphin Centre project was selected as one of the TOP 20 projects to mark the 20^th anniversary of Slovenia’s accession to the EU, which is an outstanding recognition of the work of the Morigenos association.

The Slovenian Marine Mammal Society Morigenos opened the Dolphin Centre in Piran, the first scientific and educational hub dedicated to marine mammals in Slovenia. The aim of the centre is to bring dolphins and their entire marine environment closer to the public and to highlight the importance of science in marine conservation. The Dolphin Centre offers an exhibition with interesting facts about the lives of dolphins and details of the research work of the Morigenos Society. The exhibition also features interactive elements, such as an educational app that allows visitors to experience the work of dolphin researchers, learn about their equipment and some of their research methods, and a sound room where recordings of the sea, vessels and dolphin calls remind visitors of the importance of sound in the marine environment. The centre also houses a life-size model of a dolphin, which is based on one of the first identified and most frequently sighted dolphins in the Slovenian sea, the bottlenose dolphin, which is considered to be the only species of marine mammal to reside in our sea permanently.

The Dolphin Centre, which opened with the help of EU funding a year ago, has already attracted over 1200 visitors. Yesterday’s event allowed visitors to see the exhibits free of charge and learn more about the life of dolphins and the work of the association. In addition to the tour, visitors had the opportunity to symbolically adopt a dolphin of their choice and become a member of the Morigenos Society.

The EU Project, My Project 2024 competition thus demonstrated its key role in bringing people together and increasing interest in environmental issues. The Dolphin Centre in Piran remains an important centre for education and awareness-raising on the importance of protecting the marine environment.