#Emptythetanks
Many people like to interact with animals when they are on vacation, like swimming with dolphins. While it may seem like innocent and fun and the dolphins seem happy, the truth behind this type of entertainment is heart breaking.
Most of the dolphins currently in captivity were taken from the wild. Some parks even buy them illegally resulting in a thriving illegal trade in wild-caught dolphins. Anyone who has seen the documentary “The Cove” knows that the capture process is extremely violent and cruel and is traumatic to both the captured dolphins and the ones remaining in the pod (of which most are killed for their meat in Taiji, Japan). Dolphins are chased to exhaustion and a few are selected and separated from the pod. In a panic, the dolphins often injure themselves when they ram the net trying to escape, and some drown (if they are not being killed). Studies suggest that mortality rates increase six-fold after capture. The dolphins may then be subjected to further trauma during travel in boats, shallow pens on trucks, or between countries on long-haul flights.
Dolphins slaughtered in Taiji
Dolphins are intelligent and social creatures that, in the wild, interact with hundreds of pod-mates, hunt communally, and have entire coastlines as their playground. They are self aware, meaning that when they are looking in a mirror they know they are seeing themselves reflected back. They use a complex system of echolocation to navigate their surroundings and hunt their prey, bouncing high-pitched sounds off objects, and listening for the returning echoes. The dolphin’s brain has emotional and cognitive abilities similar to our own. Captive dolphins are fed dead fish (wild dolphins only catch and eat live fish) and they face a profound reduction in space and stimulation. Dolphins in the wild may swim up to 40 or 50 miles in a day and can dive to depths of hundreds of feet. Even in the largest captive facilities, dolphins have access to less than 1/10,000 of 1% (0.000001%) of the space available to them in their natural environment. Because of this, dolphins in captivity are often restricted to swimming in circles. In many dolphins, this behavior is a sign that the dolphin is suffering psychologically; the animal is engaging in what is known as a stereotypical behavior. For an inquisitive, intelligent creature like the dolphin, a barren tank offers no exploratory stimuli compared to the vast, complex ocean. Furthermore, many tanks are shallow so in warm weather the water heats up quickly and the dolphins cannot escape to cooler water. The dolphin´s sensitive skin can also be exposed to the sun's scorching rays, causing blisters and sores. Additionaly, chlorine is added to keep bacteria levels safe for humans. The levels of chlorine burn a dolphin's skin and eyes, sometimes even making them completely blind. Many captive dolphins are regularly treated with ulcer medication or antidepressant medication to alleviate the frustration of captivity.
"To claim that there are educational benefits to studying captive dolphins would be like studying mankind by observing only isolated prisoners." Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Dolphins in captivity are trained to perform through ‘operant conditioning', meaning that satisfaction of hunger is dependent on performing tricks (deprivation of food); for others, hunger is deliberately induced so the training will be effective. Captive dolphin programs often train dolphins to perform tricks that people can relate to with human responses and emotions. For example, movement of the pectoral flippers looks as if dolphins are waving or greeting, as if the animals are “speaking” to people. In reality, these are very unnatural behaviors. Some parks disguise their focus on entertainment as being ‘educational' but viewing captive animals gives the public a false picture of the animals' lives and provides no educational value. The way the animals behave in captivity doesn’t even come close to their behavior in the wild.
When you buy a ticket to a dolphin show or pay for a swim with dolphin encounter you are supporting and encouraging the industry. Even if you go to a park that holds captive dolphins but not go see a show, this park still makes money on you and in this way you contribute to the suffering of the animals. As long as people want to see dolphins perform in a park and/or want to swim with them, the demand is there. Consumers have the power to stop the exploitation of dolphins by simply not buying tickets. Instead of teaching our children to see animals in a tank we should be teaching people of all ages to respect wildlife and the wild spaces they come from. Please stop the demand by not buying a ticket and take the pledge at Dolphin Project and tell your friends and family to do the same. More action can be taken here, like sending a letter to politicians (already written, so it is very easy to do!).
Sources
Main picture: Treehugger