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Download our Marine Mammal Fact Sheets!

Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales (PDF)
Bottlenose Dolphins (PDF)
Orca (PDF)

What’s life like for a performing dolphin? Visitors to marine parks are often so mesmerized by the crystal blue water, pulsing music and enchanting dolphins that it’s easy to overlook whether or not the dolphins’ behavior is natural or even comfortable for them. Now you can gain some insight into what’s going on behind that dolphin smile. Here are a few common misconceptions.

The dolphin is smiling - he must be happy!

Dolphins appear to smile only because of the way their mouths are shaped; it is not a reflection of how happy they are. Dolphins always appear to smile, even if they are hurt or uncomfortable.

Captive dolphins seem eager to interact or swim with visitors.

When an animal waves their pectoral fins, vocalizes, or offers a handshake, it’s probably because it wants food. Animals are trained through a reward and denial system based on food. If they complete the desired trick, they receive a few bites of fish. Also, swim-with-the-dolphin programs seem like a great way to interact with dolphins, but these programs create and unnatural and stressful environment for the animals (and unsafe to people too!)

Dolphins beach themselves on a platform or stage so that visitors can pet or kiss them.

Captive dolphins beach themselves because they have been trained to ignore their natural instincts. In the wild, dolphins don't voluntarily beach themselves as it causes discomfort, and in some cases permanent injuries to internal organs.

Captive dolphins seem to have a good life - lazily floating on the water’s surface or getting exercise by doing repetitive laps around their pens.

These behaviors are exhibited by many animal species that are kept in captivity and are called “stereotypical” behaviors. These behaviors typically mean that the animal is bored and stressed.

Some facilities allow their dolphins partial freedom or access to the open ocean whenever they want.

This is just clever advertising used by captive facilities. Dolphins are only let out of their pens when they’re hungry, ensuring the trainer that the animals will stay in the area. Stripped of their ability to hunt on their own, the animals are compelled to return when the hunger overcomes them.

Dolphins are safer and live longer in captivity than in the wild.

Although they certainly face threats in the wild (fishing gear, pollution, etc.), dolphins are fully adapted to live in the ocean and have an important riole in the natural food chain. Animals in captivity do not live any longer than those in the wild because factors such as stress (which has been linked to compromised health and even death in marine mammals) just replace natural causes of mortality.

Marine mammals in captivity can never be released back into the wild.

There have been many successful cases of dolphins and small whales being released back into the wild.

Facilities that offer their dolphins a safe area, or “refuge,” so they can get away from visitors when they choose to are okay to visit.

People pay to have dolphins interact with them, not hide from them, so facilities will often make these "refuges" not easily accessible or will have trainers call dolphins out of the refuge to continue interacting with visitors - completely negating the point of a refuge!

It is safe to swim with dolphins.

People are at risk of disease, injury, and death when allowed direct contact with marine mammals, including through “swim-with-the-dolphin” programs. People can contract diseases that are difficult to diagnose and treat, such as skin rashes and respiratory diseases. Marine mammals are wild animals and can be unpredictable and aggressive despite being “trained.” Due to their powerful jaws and sharp teeth, incredible size and strength, and ability to be violent, it is not surprising that captive animals have been aggressive towards humans who these animals are forced to interact with.

It’s ok to visit captive-born dolphins.

No! Facilities often claim their captive-born dolphins are proof of their mission to conserve dolphins. The truth of the matter is that captive breeding programs offer no contribution to the conservation of wild dolphin populations, acting instead to replenish the industry’s stock of dolphins when supplies run low. Furthermore, captive bred dolphins are still wild animals. whether born in captivity or brutally captured from the wild, all dolphins share the same physiological and psychological needs – needs that cannot be met in a captive facility.