What does this have to do with the dolphins in the wild? Well, thinking that dolphins are non-human people means to consider them beings with rights protected by the laws in a similar way to humans, that is, they must be treated as equals and not as inferiors, which questions their capture and slaughter, as it should be considered murder. In this way, the captivity of dolphins ideally would be reduced.

Ethics as a philosophy prizes the right of people’s freedom and this should be the same in the Animal Kingdom, but it has not been so, and many dolphins have spent their lives, sometimes their whole, living in harsh conditions and without the possibility to experience the freedom of their species.

Life in captivity is not as fun as it seems in dolphinariums.

While even the best aquariums restrain freedom, we have to be aware that not all places that keep dolphins have the best conditions for them. In general, life in captivity is not as fun as it seems in top notch dolphinariums. In fact, there are some differences between dolphins living in those facilities and dolphins in the wild. These discrepancies seem to be always better for free dolphins which make us think that all animals are born free, and although humans use them for various purposes, usually with an ulterior economic end, life in the wild is ideal for them because:

To start with the most evident, free dolphins have hundreds of miles to swim in the ocean, explore and live for a long time. Captive dolphins have ponds or water bodies of several meters, which they can not leave unless their holders decide otherwise, very much like a prison. What about those dolphins that instinctively perform migrations?

Free dolphins born, grow, reproduce and die according to their nature and instincts. Captive dolphins are forced to do several things, for example, they may be induced to mate, to consume a certain food or behave in a particular way.

Free Dolphins retain their physical characteristics unless they are injured, but in captivity, they exhibit an atrophied dorsal fin, that is, it bends downward, perhaps because they spend only 20 percent of their time underwater compared to the 80 percent of the time that free individuals spend.

Normally dolphins have a relatively long life in their natural habitat, but in captivity, both the longevity and the chances of survival reduce. These cetaceans may die during their capture or their transfer as a result of an inadequate supervision of the transport structures or as a result of accidents. In general, captive dolphins live fewer years than their free counterparts.

Dolphins Swimming in the Ocean.

Although dolphins can resist the transportation, their anatomy is not designed to withstand the weight of their body caused by gravity on land. Internal organs or bones like the rib cage can get damaged by carrying them out of the water.

There is no certainty about the proper treatment of captive dolphins unless specific investigations are performed. Therefore, it all depends on the conscious of the people who capture them. While not all are ruthless, we know the where money is involved, some people sacrifice the security and comfort of the dolphins to get higher profits.

Some people argue that in captivity dolphins are safe from predators such as killer whales and sharks, that they have guaranteed food every day and that they have the medical attention of professional veterinarians in case of injury or illness. However, we must not forget that they are animals perfectly adapted to the aquatic life and all that this entails, like the large space in the ocean, the diversity of food and the chance of socializing.

The social life of dolphins and the tight bonds between them is also a major concern for dolphins in captivity as confined they have no contact with other mates or at most with a few of them also in the same conditions.

Conservationists argue strongly about all this, but the release of the captive dolphins is still unlikely.

Humans are a sociable species, we also depend on relations and connections with others to survive, and we all know that most lonely people is not happy and sometimes they have depression and other consequences related to that loneliness. As we are aware, one of the main characteristics of dolphins is their social behavior, so the answer to this is pretty obvious. Dolphins belong to the wild.

WILD DOLPHINS

While the demand for dolphins increases for attractions like swim with dolphins or Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) programs, more and more dolphins are kept in captivity.

Some scientists claim that dolphin research is progressing in great strides, but critics believe that keeping wild dolphins in captivity is cruel and should be stopped.

When contrasting wild dolphins to dolphins in captivity, there are vast differences in behavior, but the high cost of studying wild dolphins has made that scientific data available comes mainly from those in captivity.

Wild dolphins can travel up to 40 miles every day and are constantly on the move, foraging for food, playing and fighting within their pods. Sometimes they submerge to great depths and are hard to follow.

The need for continuous movement of Wild dolphins is one of the reasons that critics of captivity use as arguments to request the release of these dolphins.

The process to capture wild dolphins has traumatic effects on them. Statistics show that 53% of the dolphins that survive the process will die within the first three months.

DOLPHINS IN CAPTIVITY

Regardless that the dolphins we see in captivity seem to be happy, scientists believe that their boredom eventually leads to their premature deaths. Dolphins in captivity, spend only 20% of their time under the surface contrasting with the dolphins in the wild that can be up to 80%.

Activities like beaching themselves in aquatic shows are against their nature because the dolphins in the wild would never beach themselves. Scientists believe that this is extremely harmful because resting on their bellies over a hard surface, will eventually damage their internal organs.

At least 50% of the dolphins in captivity will die in less than seven years. Chlorine poisoning, diseases, and stress-related illnesses are the main reasons that cause the death of those in captivity.

Sometime during the capture process, dolphins are herded towards the shore, separating those still swimming with their mothers from the pod. They are then trussed in a sling and carried from the water to a transport vehicle. Research proves this procedure is very traumatic to dolphins.

US government researchers have found that mortality rates in bottlenose dolphins rise six-fold immediately after capture.

Experience have shown that Dolphins in captivity do not live more than a few years. However, better caring procedures and advanced veterinary medicine, have helped them to live longer, sometimes as long as the dolphins in the wild. Scientists have not figured out yet why dolphins in captivity live less, as most wild animals in captivity, protected from their natural predators will always outlive their counterparts in their natural environments.

Many animal conservation groups are demanding the release of dolphins in captivity, but while there is profit involved, this will be difficult to achieve.

References

Use of Marine Mammals in Swim-with-the-dolphin Programs (FL,HI): Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1. 1990.

http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/end-captivity

http://us.whales.org/faqs/captivity

Janet Mann. Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales. University of Chicago Press, 2000.

How to Pick your Dolphin Watching Tour

You are going to travel to one of those dolphin paradises and plan to take a dolphin watching or diving tour?

There are several issues to consider when picking a dolphin or whale watching tour or swimming with dolphins tour. At every dolphin watching or diving place, there are several tour operators therefore picking the right one is the starting step to have a wonderful experience.

Here are a few recommendations although the number one issue we are considering (and you should always consider) is your security.

Therefore, before selecting a dolphin watching, diving or swim with dolphins tour, please ask your provider:

What kind of boat are you using?

This question is mainly oriented to know if it is a boat or an inflatable, mainly ask how many feet the boat is and what material is made of as well as the kind of motors it has. Always ask if it is equipped with an emergency radio (this is the main question of all).

If the boat does not match the description you received when doing your research, refrain from boarding. Also, if you don’t feel right about the boat when arriving, do not board it. This is one of the important security issues.

The boat does not have to be a large boat or a yacht, but you should know in advance what will you get and where will you board.

Most of the diving I have done in the ocean have been on inflatables. They are very reliable an suitable for several applications. The last one I bough was a Sea Eagle inflatable. They have affordable and quality inflatables.

How long is the tour?

You should always ask your provider, how long the tour is going to be. It will be one hour? Four hours? All day?

This is important not only to get what you are paying for but also to take with you special items you might need in case the tour is too long, like food, glasses, sun protection, additional clothing, etc.

If the tour is longer than three hours ask if there is any food or drinks included, otherwise, it is advisable to take yours.

Where is the tour going?

It is another important security measure that you know where are you going and let know other members of your party. If everybody in your party is going with you to the tour, you should tell your hotel where you will be going, what company you hired and how long you will be away.

How many people are going?

This question is much related with the size of the boat. If the tour is shared with other people, make sure the boat is not overcrowded. If the boat is an inflatable, take additional care of the number of people going into the boat.

Don’t forget to count crew members as some companies take the limit boarding capacity of the boat but they additionally take 4 or 5 crew members, exceeding the boat limitations.

What shall we see?

Ok, this is difficult, but at least you will get some commitment from the tour operator.

We all who know the sea are aware that any decent tour operator will not be able to guarantee you watching dolphins or whales because even if they are at the same place every day, that day something could happen that they are not in the same place and you should be aware of this, however, is good to know what are your tour operator intentions.

Ask about how they contact dolphins or whales because some of them really buther dolphins by getting into their way.

How much will it cost?

Always ask in advance how much will the tour cost and what will be included for that cost. This should be one of the last questions after they have provided you the information above. Don´t forget to ask for child price if you are taking kids with you.

What crew is going in the trip?

Now is the time to get serious. Remember that there are two kinds of tours, watching and swimming with dolphins. Although in both cases you should be careful about the crew, in case you are diving, take extra care.

If you are not a trained diver (not only experienced…) make sure a trained diver is going with you. Hundreds of problems can arise while diving that only a very experienced and trained diver can solve properly.

If you are going with other people from your party, it would be a great security measure to leave one of them in the boat, in turns if necessary, so there is always somebody aware of your security on board. If everybody is going down, make sure to keep all together while diving and be sure to be noticed by the crew so they do not leave you in the ocean (it has happened…).

What equipment do you have?

This is also extremely important if you are diving or swimming with dolphins. If you are not taking your own equipment, ask the operator about the condition and the kind of equipment that you will receive.

For any kind of tour, watching or diving, you should be sure that they have a life jacket/vest for anyone boarding the boat.

If you would like to take your own equipment, I have got great prices and sevice for water sports equipment at Overton’s.

If you are planning your travel adventure to watch or swim with dolphins, don´t forget to print your destination miniguide.