Opening April 2, AT&T Dolphin Tales is the biggest expansion yet at the world's largest aquarium, serving as an unfortunate example for other aquariums poised on sourcing dolphins and other cetaceans, such as belugas, from the wild. “We are looking to US facilities to set the example for other aquaria, here and abroad, and remain cetacean-free,” stated Courtney Vail, US Campaigner for WDCS. “The trend has been away from the development of new marine mammal exhibits in the US, and we see this as a step backward for a new dolphin ethic that rejects their confinement in captivity.” While aquariums continue to experience growth, more than six dozen established and proposed facilities in North America have declined to exhibit cetaceans - for ethical and economic reasons.
WDCS believes that it is impossible to accommodate the mental, physical and social needs of whales and dolphins in captivity and that it is cruel to confine them. Scientific evidence indicates that cetaceans in captivity suffer extreme mental and physical stress, which is revealed in aggression between themselves and towards humans, boredom, and a lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than in the wild. WDCS believes that there exist no adequate minimum standards for the captive display of cetaceans, or any requirements which justify keeping these animals in captivity.
Although the Aquarium claims that all of the dolphins in its exhibit were captive-born, the proliferation of any captive dolphin program is a threat to wild dolphin populations by stimulating a global demand for these animals. Live captures of dolphins continue around the world in regions where very little is known about the status of populations. For smaller populations, live capture operations are a significant conservation concern. The removal of animals, particularly when captures target a specific sex or age group, can have an impact on the viability of the wild population when that population is small and has a very limited distribution.
Capture methods can also be extremely cruel. Mortality risk in bottlenose dolphins increases six-fold after a capture from the wild and takes about a month to return to normal levels. This same risk is present when transferring dolphins between facilities.
Tracking the global trade in dolphins is nearly impossible, and we are reliant upon inadequate reporting mechanisms and information voluntarily provided by commercial and private facilities worldwide. Wild captures still occur in international waters to supply facilities, and the law currently allows these animals to be imported into the U.S. Dolphin populations in U.S. public display facilities have, in recent years, been maintained through captive breeding, imports, and the retention of non-releasable stranded animals.
In addition, Georgia Aquarium has recently announced a re-branding strategy for its recent acquisition, the former Marineland theme-park, now to be called Marineland Dolphin Adventure, where guests will be able to interact closely with dolphins.
WDCS has many concerns relating to the interaction between visitors and dolphins in captive facilities. These include the welfare of the animal (including the lack of respite these programs offer from forced interaction, and the potential for injury from irresponsible human behavior), the risk of aggression towards people and the potential for disease transmission between human and dolphin. WDCS is also concerned that the captivity industry’s promotion of programs that offer touching, feeding and swimming with cetaceans may encourage the public to seek such experiences with wild whales and dolphins, thus leading to potential harassment of wild cetaceans.
While we understand why people are drawn to these incredible animals, a ticket to these shows represents more than an entrance fee. Every ticket to a theme park that holds captive dolphins or whales contributes to the suffering of these remarkable creatures. As an alternative, those interested in learning about whales and dolphins can participate in sustainable, responsible wild whale and dolphin watching tours where they can observe these animals' natural behaviors in the wild and free, as they should be.