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DOLPHIN CAPTIVITY FACTOID The average lifespan of a dolphin in the wild is 45 years, yet half of all captured dolphins die within their first two years of captivity, with survivors lasting an average of 5 years. At least 134 Orcas (killer whales) have been taken into captivity from the wild since 1961 and 103 of them are now dead. From 1966 to 1985 at least 312 Pacific White-Sided dolphins were captured for the public display industry, less than 100 survived their first year of captivity. Keeping animals with such high intelligence and environmental needs such as dolphins and whales in captivity has resulted in: •
High mortalities Captive dolphins and whales often show repeated motions/actions and these are learned behaviours - such as head bobbing, a movement learned when begging for fish from trainers. The dolphin usually makes this motion when it is excited however because the dolphin is rewarded by the trainer with fish when it shows this motion, the dolphin therefore learns to repeat this motion knowing it will receive a food reward. Some marine parks pump natural salt water from the ocean to their facilities and filter this for use in their pools however in most marine parks fresh water is usually used to house dolphins and whales which are very obviously ocean dwelling creatures. Ocean water is simulated by mixing salt with the fresh water however there is no way this can realistically replicate the richness of natural water from the oceans in which wild populations live. Food deprivation at marine parks is not generally discussed (even within the marine park industry), yet apparently some trainers do, at times, withhold food if an animal refuses to perform. A former trainer has reported that dolphins that would not perform were sometimes denied food during or after shows. They would only be given about two-thirds of their daily food allowance including vitamins and usually these animals would perform when they realised they weren't going to be fed anything over and above this basic allowance (i.e. no "rewards"). Dolphins and whales that are from completely different social groups are often forced to share the same tank, this can lead to dominant animals fighting for rank and death is not uncommon. One such instance happened during a routine performance at Sea World's marine park in San Diego, California. Kandu, a female Orca, suddenly turned on her pool-mate, another female Orca called Corky, and as a result Kandu received a broken jaw, she later bled to death. The cause of this attack is unknown however one theory is; if you mix Orcas from different global populations together in a pool (e.g. Corky was from the wild population of Orcas in Canada whereas Kandu came from the wild population in Iceland), then there is the possibility that they will misunderstand each other. Orca pods each have their own particular dialect and in killer whale language there are some sounds that occur in populations worldwide but others which are only unique to one particular pod - and this could be where confusion occurs. Every day millions of people visit marine parks to see these animals perform; but have they ever thought that these animals are not there by choice? Legal requirements for pool sizes in the USA mean that Dolphins can be held in a pool measuring 24ft long and 6ft deep - some of these animals are also held in chlorinated pools which can result in skin rashes and diseases which are never seen in the wild ocean dwelling populations. As mentioned before reproduction rates are very poor in captive whales and dolphins. For example Corky, the Orca involved in the fight at Sea World with Kandu, has had seven births and not one of her calves has survived past the age of 46 days. You need to decide into which category you, as an individual, want to fall. a) The person who goes to the marine park, sees dolphins and whales in captivity and thinks of it as a "good day out". b) The person who goes to a marine park, sees the plight of these naturally ocean-dwelling, far ranging animals and wants to do something to help them return to where they rightfully belong, the open ocean. The money you give to a marine park gives them a reason to go out and capture more animals from their families for our "education". But the education that is displayed at these facilities is false; this is not how these animals live; a dolphin doesn't eat dead fish and does not even jump clear of fishing net to save its' life, therefore if a dolphin jumps 20 feet to ring a bell to educate us as to what they do in the wild, then why wouldn't the same dolphin jump 1 foot in the wild to save it's life? The reason is simple; learned contrived behaviours for the reward of food. So while what you see in a show at a marine park may be based on what a dolphin or whale does in the wild; it is not natural behaviour. |
Excellent "Dolphins
in the Wild" stories with photos: Dolphins and
Man.... Equals? Check out this link: Dolphin
mania changes face of tourism in Caribbean (May
2004): Dolphin Export
Syndicate - Solomon Islands (July 2003): Cameraman attacked,
arrested in Solomons (July 2003): Dolphins' Solomons
To Mexico - Reuters (July 2003): Solomon Islands
Dolphin Trade Confirmed As Illegal : Sea Shepard -
Report from Solomon Islands (Oct. 2003):
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Dolphins Thrown into Pit Behind Pizza Shop Waterland
uses dolphins, like Turbo, in its shoddy traveling water show. |
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Update: Nestle Breaks Ties with Dolphin Show July 26th, 2002 The WSPA received confirmation today that the Nestle Food company has withdrawn its sponsorship of the "Waterland" Traveling Dolphin Show, which is currently visiting Trinidad. This is great news for dolphin advocates on the island and around the world, who are working to force the show to close its doors. Considered by some the most abusive dolphin spectacle in the world, Waterland (called "Mundo Marino" in Latin America ) is known to friends of WSPA as the operation that is thought to be connected to the abandonment of Ariel and Turbo last year in Guatemala.
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July 12th, 2002 WSPA has learned that the traveling dolphin show Waterland has set up shop on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. They've dug a hole in the ground behind the local Pizza Hut and filled it with water. Local animal welfare organizations are mobilizing in an effort to close down the show and drive it out of the country. Just last year two dolphins named Ariel and Turbo were abandoned by their trainers in the hills of Guatemala and left to die. Ariel and Turbo were also part of Waterland, the same traveling water show now in Trinidad, which has been called one of the most abusive animal spectacles in the world. After questions about Waterland's permits arose, the trainers fled in the middle of the night. Even in their haste, they still managed to leave with the tank's water filtration equipment, all but assuring a slow and terrible death for the dolphins. Ariel and Turbo were barely clinging to life when WSPA arrived on the scene. The WSPA team was able to stabilize, relocate and rehabilitate the dolphins in a massive rescue effort. In August, Ariel and Turbo swam to freedom. Now, two other dolphins find themselves in the same precarious situation - and in the hands of the same people who are responsible for the abuse of Ariel and Turbo. |
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