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Responsible Travel Industry Members
We asked tourism industry members (highly regarded travel guide books, travel websites, and tour companies) to sign our “WSPA Protect-Dolphins” Pledge and commit to supply supplementary information to consumers about four major points of debate surrounding captive marine mammals (The Education/Conservation Fallacy, Live Captures, Risk to Humans, Stress and Mortality) and to recommend ethically- and ecologically-responsible alternatives, such as responsible whale and dolphin watching operations. Please see the sample pledge to learn more details about these four points. This information should be available to consumers browsing any captive whale and dolphin attractions, but especially for those occurring in destinations such as the U.S., Canada, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The goal of the “WSPA Protect-Dolphins” Pledge is to ensure that consumers understand the facts about marine mammals in captivity before making their decision to participate in, and thereby support, the captive marine mammal industry. In response to their cooperation, we have listed pledge participants companies on our website (see below). We hope that travelers such as you will endorse these responsible travel resources. Are you a travel industry member and want to be included on our list? Contact us to request the “WSPA Protect-Dolphins” Pledge and related information. “WSPA Protect-Dolphins” Pledge (PDF, 40KB)
Thanks to the World Society for the Protection of Animals and their worldwide campaign to end all dolphin interaction programs, in 2005, the Radisson Seven Seas Cruise Line agreed to stop offering dolphin encounter tours at any of their ports of call! Darius Mehta, director of land programs for Radisson Seven Seas said, “Sadly, under the guise of communing with nature or advancing our scientific understanding, dolphin encounter programs too often overlook the way dolphins actually exist and interact with each other in the wild…while we will continue to employ programs that allow our guests the wonderful experience of observing dolphins in the wild, we're opposed to those that interfere with dolphins' natural behavior.” Taking a cruise? Want to support dolphin protection? Then think about choosing the Radisson Seven Seas Cruise Line, and be sure to tell them why you chose their company over others. You could also send a letter of thanks to the Radisson Seven Seas Cruise Line and let them know that you appreciate their efforts to promote ecological responsibility and dolphin welfare. Send your letter to:
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“WSPA PROTECT-DOLPHINS” PLEDGE