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Endless scientific documentation attests to the fact that no captive facility
is able to meet the complex physiological and psychological needs of dolphins.
Space Requirements –
According to U.S. regulations, a dolphin pen must be 30 x 30 feet. Given
these standards, a dolphin would have to lap its pen more that 1,700 times
to simulate what it would do naturally. Some of the world's largest marine
parks boast dolphin enclosures with dimensions of approximately 600 x
300 feet. Yet even in these state-of-the-art facilities, a dolphin only
has access to less than 1% of its natural range. Observation of dolphins
in such confined spaces often reveals them engaging in "stereotypical"
behaviors, repetitive and compulsive activity which signals psychological
distress.
Inadequate space can also pose very real physiological dangers as well.
In the wild, dolphins can dive to great depths (1,600 feet) in order to
escape to cooler temperatures and shield their sensitive skin from the
sun's burning rays. In fact, many species spend less than 20% of their
time at the water's surface. However, captive dolphins are often kept
in shallow enclosures - United States regulations only require depths
of six feet - which can create dangerous, and sometimes even fatal, conditions
for the animals. In shallow depths, water heats more quickly, especially
in hot summer, and becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.
Stress-Inducing Environment
– Studies indicate that interaction programs create high levels of
stress for the animals and that this stress leads to long-term negative
physiological effects, even death. Such conditions are traced back to
1) separation from social groups and inability to express natural behaviors;
2) unnatural and constrictive environments; and 3) forced interaction
with tourists, all factors indicative of swim-with-the-dolphin programs
and other public displays.
1) All of a dolphin's natural behaviors are
suppressed in captivity. Isolation and the
breaking of social bonds can be especially damaging. Bottlenose dolphins
live in close-knit social pods. Mothers and calves typically remain in
close contact for an average of more than five years, sometimes as long
as eight. Whether the dolphins are taken from the seas or transferred
between facilities, these crucial bonds are prematurely broken.
Dolphins often hunt as a group, coordinating strategies for cornering
their prey. Observers have noted that the catch is sometimes postponed,
seeming to indicate that perhaps the animals prefer the chase even more
than the meal itself. Further, this marine mammal exhibits signs of playfulness;
creating complex games to enjoy with pod members and riding near shore
waves.
2) As related above, constrictive environments
wreak havoc on the physical and psychological health of dolphins.
Instinctually a far-ranging species, confinement causes trauma even for
those individuals born in captivity.
In addition, dolphins in captivity can't use their most astonishing gift
- eco-location - because they have no fish to catch and their environment
is featureless and redundant. This is the equivalent of forcing a person
to walk around in a blindfold for the rest of his life. Dolphins in tanks,
in a futile effort to exercise this instinct, suffer a second time, as
their sonar signals bounce back at them, creating unbearable noise pollution.
3) Though social amongst its own species and
curious about humans in its marine environment, dolphins do not readily
seek out human interaction. Therefore, swim-with-the-dolphin
and other encounter programs manipulate and override a dolphin's instincts
to coerce it to perform desired behaviors that it would not do otherwise.
Research indicates that the requirement to continually submit to human
attentions causes great levels of stress, which can then lead to significant
health problems or aggression.
• Tanks
– Most dolphins are confined in tanks, containing chemically treated,
artificial seawater that wreaks havoc on their sensitive skin and eyes.
Further, the lack of novelty and ability to explore in this environment
has been identified as a cause of stereotypical behaviors in dolphins.
• Sea Pens and Lagoons
– Sea pens suffer from a severe lack of environmental controls, which
makes them wholly inadequate and poorly suited for the maintenance of
dolphins. For example, water temperature cannot be controlled in these
pens in which dolphins may be forced to remain in shallow water with excessive
exposure to the sun - resulting in unnaturally and sometimes dangerously
high water temperatures from which the dolphins can die.
Water quality also cannot be controlled in these pens. Captive dolphins
can be forced to remain in more stagnant, shallow water adjacent to human
activity that may contain considerably higher concentrations of marine
contaminants than they would encounter in the wild. Such exposure to marine
pollution can certainly lead to illness and death.
Unnatural exposure to loud sounds - airborne and underwater - can also
result in stress and even mortality in dolphins. The sensitive hearing
of dolphins is well documented and numerous studies have documented the
harmful effects that anthropogenic sound can have on them. Sound travels
quickly through water and both airborne (i.e., aircraft) and underwater
(i.e., motor craft) sounds can become amplified in water by reflecting
off the shallow ocean floor. When dolphins cannot remove themselves from
prolonged or loud sounds, physiological stress and damage can result.
Along with the welfare arguments against keeping dolphins in captivity,
additional barriers exist with regard to environmental impact and logistical
considerations.
Environmental Questions
Many dolphin programs are developed in sensitive
coastal areas or natural lagoons. These protected areas are jeopardized
by:
• Dredging operations to deepen enclosures.
• Disposal of excavated material when digging out the facility.
• Dolphin waste - Dolphins excrete 4-5 times more than humans. Without
sufficient water replacement, the water will become heavily contaminated,
threatening the dolphins and the surrounding marine life.
• Human and boat traffic associated with facility.
Logistical Obstacles
• What is the contingency plan for storms and hurricanes?
• Not all dolphins can be successfully trained for interactive programs.
What are the contingency plans for dolphins that are not willing to be
trained?
• Sounding-proofing of water pumps and filtration systems.
According to the Marine Mammal Inventory Report, an in-depth chronology
of dolphins born, imported or exported to and from U.S. facilities, hundreds
of US dolphins alone have died in captivity over the years, assuming all
were accounted for. Other sources cite that the number of dolphin deaths
worldwide as a by-product of the captivity industry runs well past 1,000,
approximately the same number of animals currently being held. So, in
essence, these reports seem to indicate that the price for keeping one
dolphin in an entertainment venue is the life of another. Common causes
of death -which are uncommon in wild species - include: stress-related
factors; chlorine toxicity; bacterial septicemia; internal bleeding; zinc
poisoning; trauma; chronic esophageal ulcers; allergic reaction to vaccinations;
kidney or liver failure; ruptured stomach ulcers; drowning as a result
of maternal trauma; accidental collision with tanks or pools; and shock/injury
during transport.
Even Sea World, perhaps one of the most advanced captive facilities in
the world, reported the deaths of 93 dolphins between 1971 and 2002. That's
3 per year at Sea World alone, assuming that all were accounted for.
If a facility of this caliber - with a highly trained staff and access
to the best technology and medicines available - can experience such losses,
it's easy to see why marine mammal scientists and advocates fear for those
in less skilled hands.
* All quotes were taken from public statements made by the individuals
and is in no way meant to serve as an endorsement of Wild for Dolphins
or the content of this fact sheet.
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