Can dolphins and whales be held in captivity?
Around the world, dolphins and whales in captivity are a popular form of entertainment. Collectively known as cetaceans, these animals can be forced to perform tricks in circus-like environments, including in dolphinariums or aquariums. Globally, dolphins and whales in captivity form a multi-billion dollar industry.
Why dolphins and whales should not be kept in captivity?
Dolphins are perfectly evolved to live and flourish in their wild ocean home, not within the confines of a human-made concrete tank or artificial lagoon. Captive dolphins also face exposure to human infection, bacteria and chemicals and suffer from stress-related illnesses.
How are dolphins treated in captivity?
Dolphins living in captive conditions face circumstances vastly different than those of the ocean. The surroundings are bare and sterile, with little mental stimulation or diversion. Many captive dolphins are regularly treated with ulcer medication or antidepressant medication to alleviate the frustration of captivity.
What does captivity do to whales?
Life in captivity Because tanks are shallow, the natural tendencies of whales and dolphins are reversed—they must spend more than half their time at the tank’s surface. This unnatural situation can cause skin problems. In addition, in captive killer whales (orcas), it is the probable cause of dorsal fin collapse.
Are dolphins OK in captivity?
A life in captivity is no life at all. For a wild, energetic dolphin who can swim up to 40 miles a day, any captive facility, tank, or enclosure is too small. The tanks that they are confined in are hundreds of thousands of times smaller than their natural home. Not only is this space uncomfortable – it can be harmful.
Are dolphins allowed to be kept in captivity?
According to animal rights organizations that monitor the subject, the following jurisdictions have full or partial bans on keeping dolphins in captivity: Bolivia, China, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, India, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the American states California, New York, and South …
Why keeping dolphins in captivity is bad?
Why is it good to keep dolphins in captivity?
However, there is evidence that for dolphins held in captivity, training based on natural behaviours can lead to improved welfare. Interactive performance activities can be seen as providing environmental enrichment and therefore are of some benefit to captive cetaceans.
Why are dolphins held in captivity?
The main arguments are that dolphins do not have enough freedom of movement in pools, regardless of pool size, (in the wild, dolphins swim hundreds of miles every day) and do not get enough stimulation. Dolphins often show repetitive behavior in captivity and sometimes become aggressive towards other animals or people.
Why should we keep dolphins in captivity?
Why Should dolphins be kept in captivity?
What role do dolphins play in our oceans?
Dolphins are top-level predators in the ocean food chain and they act as a bio-indicator, according to The Institute of Marine Mammal Studies. Dolphin studies help protect other marine animals, and humans as well, since we eat some of the same sea foods and can also suffer effects of pollution.
How can we help end captivity of whales and dolphins?
These highly intelligent individuals should not suffer for human “fun”. You can help end the cruel exploitation of whales and dolphins in marine parks around the world. What is life like for a captive whale or dolphin?
Are there any whales that are kept in captivity?
The name is a bit of a misnomer, however, since orcas are actually a species of dolphin, not a species of whale. Whales are also kept in captivity, such as the pure-white beluga whales. However, larger species of whales, such as humpbacks and right whales, are too large for any captive display facility to handle.
Which is the most common dolphin in captivity?
Bottlenose dolphins are the most common species of cetacean used in the dolphin and whale captivity industry. The next most popular species are orca whales, also known as killer whales. The name is a bit of a misnomer, however, since orcas are actually a species of dolphin, not a species of whale.
Why are whales and dolphins need a sanctuary?
Merlin recognises that the highly evolved sensory abilities and complex social structures of whales and dolphins make them unsuited to confinement in captivity, and so they asked WDC to work with them to create a better future for the whales and dolphins who come into their care. What next for the beluga sanctuary?
