Think for a moment: where is your garbage going? Where is your residual water going? What is your pollution footprint on the planet?

Do you know that some dolphin species are in danger of extinction? Although it seems obvious because there is a long list of animals which are in such condition, the truth is that many people ignore the critical preservation condition in which many dolphin species are.

Dolphins live in an environment in which threats from predators, although rare, are possible. Thanks to their complex social structure and their sense of echolocation, they can usually circumvent the risks that killer whales (even though these are dolphins) and sharks represent, however, the human activities have had a powerful impact on these animals.

Yes, some of the cute and friendly dolphins are in danger of extinction and others go the same way if we do not act now. And yes, it is humanity who must act because they have the greatest responsibility in the situation. Do you help protect dolphins?

About ten species of dolphins are in a severe danger of extinction.

STEPS TO THE END

According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), all species have a level of danger or conservation. This organization makes this assessment classifying animals after a study that reveals their status on the planet and ranks them in one of the categories: Not Evaluated, Data deficient, Least Concern, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in Wild and Extinct.

An animal is in danger if it has a classification in the Red List starting from the Vulnerable category. However, the first two categories are also worrying, since ignorance implies the lack of actions, that is, if a species classification is Data Deficient, could be threatened, but we just do not know it, and there are not strategies to preserve it.

SOME DOLPHINS FALLING IN THIS STATUS ARE:

– Commerson’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii). Data Deficient.
– Heaviside’s (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii). Data Deficient.
– Long-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis). Data Deficient.
– Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene). Data Deficient.
– Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis). Data Deficient.

For its part, the Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) it is the only one that does not have any classification.

SEVERELY THREATENED DOLPHINS

About ten species of dolphins are at serious risk. The number seems small, but we must take into account that the number of species of dolphins is around 43, so we are close to 25%. One of every four species of dolphins is close to extinction.

A particular case is the Baiji or Chinese river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), a species that inhabited only the Yangtze River in China. For a long time, the population gradually reduced as result of pollution and bycatch, and nobody took action, and when a river inspection was carried out in 2006, the researchers did not find a single dolphin.

As result of this investigation the species Lipotes vexillifer was declared to be functionally extinct, and although probably there were only a few specimens not seen by scientists at that time, the species will not be able to recover. In 2007 there was a report of a sighting, but although there is no confirmation of this, it is possible that there are a few river dolphins alive yet.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the most threatened dolphins are:

– Baiji or Chinese river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer). Critically Endangered.
– Hector’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Endangered.
– Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and Indus River dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor). Both Endangered.
– Chilean dolphin (Cephalorhynchus eutropia). Near Threatened.
– Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella Heinsohni). Near Threatened.
– Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis). Near Threatened.
Sousa chinensis includes the subspecies Sousa chinensis chinensis and Sousa chinensis plumbea.
– Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (Sousa teuszii). Vulnerable.
– La Plata dolphin (Pointporia blainvillei). Vulnerable.
– Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). Vulnerable.

As can be seen, there are several river dolphins in the list, which is a major problem for their recovery, as their distribution is very limited, the rivers are more polluted than the ocean, and river populations are usually smaller than the oceanic ones.

THE FUTURE OF THREATENED DOLPHINS

This scenario should not be underestimated. The rate of exploitation and reduction of the populations is no longer sustainable, and if some other dolphin species get extinct, this will create imbalances in the food chain, as these animals are at the top of the chain.

Some dolphins have an uncertain future, but the positive side of all this is that there are people concerned and not only that but also working actively to protect these animals. If you want to know the specific strategies implemented to attack the problem, visit the Dolphins conservation strategies article.

THREATS AND DANGERS TO DOLPHIN SURVIVAL.

Wild dolphins face some natural dangers in the ocean. However, the most overwhelming threats to their existence are the consequences of human activities.

Some dolphin species are in danger of becoming extinct, and alarming statistics suggest that illegal dynamite fishing, entanglement in fishing nets, collisions with boats and propellers, marine pollution, disease and beaching due to sonar interference, kill an increasing number of dolphins every year.

Research suggests that over 95% of dolphin deaths are directly attributable to anthropogenic causes.

SOME OF THE DOLPHIN THREATS RELATED TO MAN ARE:

INCREASING CAPTIVITY

The capture of dolphins for research and entertainment is contributing to their mortality at an alarming rate. Conservationists insist that the capture process itself is resulting in more deaths and the transportation, the exposure to diseases in captivity tanks, are added dangers that dolphins have to face when extracted from their natural environment.

The increased popularity of swimming with dolphins programs have brought more dolphins into captivity.

UNSTOPPABLE CHEMICAL POLLUTION

Another threat to dolphins in the wild is the contamination of their natural habitat from oil, chemical and heavy metal pollutants which cause them illness and higher infant mortality rates.

Since dolphins are at the top of the food chain, the impact of contamination on them is even higher as they eat fish and animals contaminated in different places.

NOISE POLLUTION.

Noise pollution is also a dangerous threat to dolphins in the wild.
Activities like oil drilling, navigational sonars, and even ship engines create continuous streams of underwater sounds that can disorient or even damage their hearing capabilities.

SEA TRAFFIC

Another cause of death are the injuries suffered by the entanglement in cages, shark safety nets and fishing nets as well as collisions with ships and propellers.

The increasing maritime traffic produces this kind of inconvenience for all the marine life.

NATURAL CAUSES.

In addition to anthropogenic threats, wild dolphins are also victims of predators. Regardless they are at the top of the food chain. Still, they have to compete with sharks and larger toothed whales for food.

The effect of Global Warming or seasonal weather changes has reduced their food sources, impacting the survival of dolphins in the wild.

References

Erich Hoyt. Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: A World Handbook for Cetacean Habitat Conservation and Planning. Routledge, 2012.

seethewild.org/dolphin-threats/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/28/hectors-dolphins-near-extinction

Judith S Weis. Physiological, Developmental and Behavioral Effects of Marine Pollution. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.

Judith S. Weis. Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2015.

]]> https://www.dolphins-world.com/dolphins-in-captivity/ Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:46:50 +0000 http://www.dolphins-world.com/?p=138  

It is common to watch dolphins jumping through a hoop, spinning in the air, receiving fish from the coaches’ hands and swimming in a huge pond, which seems to be normal. However, the practice of keeping dolphins within an artificial habitat in a dolphinarium is relatively recent, as well as the information about the dangers that are exposed captive dolphins.

BACKGROUND OF DOLPHINS IN CAPTIVITY.

This practice goes back to the nineteenth century when in 1860 a pair of belugas whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were held in the Museum of New York. Although Belugas are not precisely dolphins, the event marked a before and after in the dolphinarium industry. Several years passed until in 1938 the Marine Studios opened a dolphinarium in Florida, with the business model as we know today, this is, the one in which an audience pay to see dolphins doing tricks, and at that time they began with a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

Marine Studios of Florida, later became Marineland and it has the title of being the first dolphinarium in the world. In 2011 the Georgia Aquarium purchased the park.

When this park opened, people realized that dolphins were able to learn tricks and perform stunts if trained, so this created a whole new industry that grew over time, and many other dolphinariums opened to the public. By 1970, there were about 36 dolphinariums in the United Kingdom alone.

Keeping dolphins in captivity is a practice not approved by conservationists and animal rights protectors.

It is important to say that captive dolphins are not only in dolphinariums and water parks to amuse people who pay to see a show. Sometimes dolphins are there for the purpose of being studied or protected if they are in danger of extinction, but in any case, the practice involves certain risks often ignored by most people.

LIFE IN CAPTIVITY

Within an artificial pond, dolphins usually have an infrastructure that resembles their habitat; The water must have an adequate depth depending on the species, and they must receive balanced food in a way similar to what they typically consume in the wild.

Dolphins also spend much of their time and energy learning tricks and coordinating their acrobatics to perform as a central attraction (in the case of dolphinariums) in exchange for food. In the same way, they can be trained to assist people suffering from congenital conditions like in the Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT).

OPPOSITE OPINIONS

Keeping dolphins (in fact, not just dolphins) in captivity is a practice not approved by conservationists and animal rights protectors. Captivity seems to be a kind of jail for an animal accustomed to freedom, having a social life interacting with hundreds of similar dolphins and behaving in a way that can not be entirely carried out in a reduced environment, regardless if the pond is quite large.

The dark side of captivity begins since the capture which has been described as “traumatizing” considering that hunters catch many dolphins since they are calves and separate them from their mothers in a stressful and even violent way. Later, they are transported in uncomfortable structures and taken to an unknown place for them. If you consider their close social ties and their memory capacity, the only conclusion is that for those captured dolphins the whole experience is a huge emotional shock.

The annual massacre carried out on Japanese shores is a brutal act, although local authorities have asked respect for this tradition. However, the water tinged with red provokes a significant rejection and indignation in the Western society. Some of the surviving dolphins, the youngest and strongest, are sometimes selected to be taken to water parks and work there as an attraction.

On the other hand, the research conducted while they are in captivity, although it can help to unravel aspects of their behavior and allow a better understanding of their life, it can have adverse effects on their health or include painful processes for them.

In the wild, dolphins travel several kilometers per day, live with their pod companions and other species of cetaceans and animals, emit sounds to communicate and capture their food alive. Living alone or only with a few mates in a dolphinarium limit their sophisticated social life which seems to be an important part of the dolphin life.

What do you think, should humans keep dolphins captive just because they can? Should we keep any animal at all? Is this a form of slavery? Mail us, and we will publish the interesting opinions.

TRAUMATIC PROCESS

Humans, have been capturing wild dolphins and even breeding them for a long time. Today even scientists and researchers keep dolphins in captivity for studying.

Dolphins, with their charmingly playful personality, breathtaking acrobatic ability, and affinity for humans, are among the most sought-after animals by people and their unique abilities are the subjects of research by those seeking to unlock the mysteries of their intelligence and communication.

But there is a dark side to keep dolphins in captivity because the methods used to catch wild dolphins disrupt pod populations and the capture process is hard on any dolphin; detached from the sea and their family, they are pulled into the harsh air where water doesn’t cushion their bodies. They experience trouble breathing, and their skin must be rubbed with lotion and doused with water so that it doesn’t dry out. In these conditions, they are transported for hours, unable to move, just to end in a tank filled with chlorinated water instead of the sea water.

Dolphins, seem reasonably resilient to captivity conditions. They accept humans and adapt well to being around them.

Around five thousand dolphins and other cetaceans have been caught for display, research, or military use over the last three decades. After some rather egregious abuses that led to dolphin deaths, the US and Canadian government now have strict controls over who may capture and keep a dolphin in captivity.

About three-quarters of the dolphins in captivity are females, and most captured dolphins overall are young. Though they seem to do well in captivity, they have a much shorter life expectancy than the dolphins in the wild.

Although the laws covering US and European dolphinariums are quite strict and detailed, this has not always been the case; in many countries, lax regulations have led to filthy, inadequate tanks, sick dolphins, and the death and suffering of many specimens.

References

Thomas I. White. In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.

Edward F. Gibbons, Barbara Susan Durrant, Jack Demarest. Conservation of Endangered Species in Captivity: An Interdisciplinary Approach. SUNY Press, 1995.

Pamela S. Turner. The Dolphins of Shark Bay. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.

Beautiful Bottlenose Dolphin in Aquarium

Performing Bottlenose Dolphins

Bottlenose Dolphins in Marineland d’Antibes in France

Image Courtesy of: Arnaud 25 & Jean Loup P

There are several reasons why some dolphin species are in the “Endangered Species” category according to the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Among these are intentional killing for commercial purposes, increasing mortality produced by fishing materials abandoned at sea, either by entanglement or by ingestion of debris, ship traffic that causes noise pollution and injuries by contact, toxic contaminants and coastal development projects that disturb populations and damage marine ecosystems where they get their food.

Examples of species in danger of extinction are the Hector dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) and the Ganges dolphin (Platanista gangetica). The baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) continues within the classification “Critically endangered, ” but most scientists believe that they are already extinct.

Pink river dolphins live in the main rivers of the Amazon River and the Orinoco river in South America.

They are endangered because of the increase in population in the basins of these two rivers, increasing the pollution, the river traffic and therefore the accidental killing.

Also, the construction of dams and the pluvial projects have damaged their habitat taking them inevitably to a slow extinction.

Regardless the reasons behind getting a dolphin into captivity, it is important to know that dolphins do not like captivity.

Dolphins are captured by humans mainly for three purposes:

1. Display and entertainment.
2. Research
3. Military

While scientists have been more and more conscious of having dolphins in captivity, there is a large number still on research facilities, however lately scientists make more experiments on wild dolphins.

There are not records for the capture and research by Military because of the secret nature of the experimentation.

Besides the common predators like big sharks and occasionally killer whales, humans are the top killers of dolphin. If dolphins could figure it out, we would be considered their worst enemy.

The human activities that kill dolphins are fishing because dolphins get trapped in the nets while they try to catch tuna or some other species.

Also, human pollution is a huge threat for dolphins causing them to choke by eating debris or by damaging their senses and making them easy prey for sharks.

The excessive noise product of human activities in the ocean is also a threat to dolphins, as noise can kill dolphins or at least confuse them causing massive beach stranding.

There are several organizations which are devoted to protecting dolphins. However, they have no further authority than exposing the atrocities made by humans and some groups against dolphins.

Among the best-known institutions, you can find Green Peace, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, the Mediterranean Dolphin Conservation and some others.