Captivity
We all love dolphins and find joy in seeing them. What many
of us don't realize is what captivity means to a dolphin.
Having dolphins in captivity has become a lucrative business.
People flock to see dolphins, swim with dolphins, and watch
them perform. In order to meet the demands of purchasing these
dolphins, wild dolphins must be captured.
Dolphins are very intelligent and have a complex social awareness.
They live in family groups called pods which is a very important
part of their lives. Being separated from their pod during the
capture process is very traumatic to both the captured dolphin(s)
and the remaining pod family.
Capturing wild dolphins is a violent process. During this terrifying
experience, some dolphins die from shock. Often young dolphins
are separated from their mothers. Many dolphins die during or
shortly after being subjected to the capturing process.
Once captured, dolphins are then transported to tanks or small
lagoons. Their quality of life becomes seriously compromised.
Consider the following:
~Dolphins swim up to 40 miles a day and can dive up to 900
feet (300 meters) or more. In captivity, they are limited to
extremely small enclosures by comparison and often display boredom,
swimming over and over in a small circle.
~Dolphins in tanks live in artificial, chemically treated sea
water, which causes reoccurring health problems. Those confined
in lagoons must live in water that becomes soiled because natural
filtration is limited.
~In captivity, dolphins are very limited in using their sonar,
normally an important part of their daily lives. Since this
is a major part of how they "see", captive dolphins
are blinded in that respect.
~Dolphins in marine parks perform tricks for food. See Dolphins
with Jobs at One Voice to see what an ex-dolphin trainer
has to say.
Find out more!
