Wild Captivity
Whales and dolphins are still being captured around the world for display in marine parks, hotels and even small traveling circuses. While the large, well-funded marine parks such as Sea World adhere to strict (especially in the United States) regulations, many others around the world do not. The unfortunate animals who are captive in these poorly regulated circumstances are often condemned to a short, miserable life. As the most popular species for captivity are dolphins and killer whales, who have highly complex societies and very tight family ties, not only does captivity place a wide-ranging (often over 100 miles a day) animal into a small, unnatural tank, but also a family and society are broken apart. Many researchers believe the Southern Resident Community of killer whales in Puget Sound, Washington, is still struggling to recover from the capture of a majority of a single generation in the 1970s.
Even in the best marine parks, mortality of animals captured from the wild is very high. An article in Marine Mammal Science (Small and DeMaster, 1995, Vol 11, no. 4) shows that mortality risk increases six-fold in bottlenose dolphins right after a capture, taking a month or more to return to "normal" for captivity. This spike in risk occurs after every transport too-dolphins never get used to being moved. In late 2003, Russia attempted to capture killer whales from the wild for the lucrative trade in these popular animals-a young calf died during the capture and a young female died a few weeks later. In Japan, dolphins, orcas, and false killer whales continue to be herded in "drive fisheries," with many being slaughtered in a sea of blood, and the "best" ones separated from their pods for the capture industry.
The marine park industry contends that having whales and dolphins in captivity educates the public about cetaceans. However, what kind of education and awareness of conservation issues can be learned by watching animals perform tricks for people's amusement? There has been no definitive study to determine what, if anything, a visitor to a marine park or aquarium with marine mammals has learned about cetacean behavior or their wild habitats. For many years, for example, marine parks stated that killer whales lived about the same number of years in captivity as they do in the wild. However, thanks to long-term research, especially off the west coast of North America, scientists believe that killer whales can live to 80+ years in the wild. If a captive orca reaches 30, it is extremely rare. Most die within a few years of their capture.
Capturing cetaceans for below standard facilities, and swim-with programs at hotels, is pure exploitation for profit, with no attempt to tout education as the rationale. Many of these animals (if they survive the capture) are kept in unbelievable circumstances, in tiny tanks, with poor water and inadequate food and veterinary care. Swim-with programs at hotels are all about profit and pleasing humans, with little thought given to the social and health needs of the dolphins. ACS has a policy against swim-with dolphins programs, which states: "ACS is opposed to the exploitation of captive dolphins, or any other captive cetaceans, by resort hotels and similar commercial enterprises, utilizing swim-with-dolphin programs to attract guests. These facilities do not qualify for consideration as 'public display' under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The fee structure for admission to these facilities makes them inaccessible to the vast majority of the 'public' as this word is commonly understood."
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