Dolphins in Captivity

Dolphins, who doesn't absolutely love them? We enjoy reading stories about them, we write poetry about them, grace their photos on magazine covers. We even put dolphin images on everything we wear and use everyday, from clothes to jewelry to ornaments.

Dolphins are one of the most magnificent and highly intelligent creatures on the planet. They are also one of the few species of the wild that will allow man to get so close to them. In fact, dolphins have even been described as being the "angels of the sea", as they have been known to assist anyone who might be in peril on the waters of the ocean. Is it any wonder that we just can't get enough of these beautiful creatures, that we even build entire theme parks around them, sharing their magnificence with tourists, who may not be so fortunate as to live in an area where they prevail. All one needs to do, is to visit the closest theme park or aquarium nearest you, and there are sure to be a few dolphins to entertain to your delight.

However, as we enjoy their beauty, intelligence, and performances to our wonder and amazement, do we ever give much thought as to how they actually came about living in an aquarium, within many of our major cities?

In fact, a recent CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) documentary (Doc Zone), revealed some of the brutal realities of just how we have come to cohabitate with these magnificent creatures, by way of dolphin hunting. On this particular program, a man from British Columbia Canada chose to hunt dolphins as a business venture, in and around the Solomon Islands, located north east of Australia (As not to point fingers at just this particular individual, of course, there are many others in this line of business as well, a fact one can easily determine by the number of dolphins held in captivity all around the world). In this particular instance, his plan was to capture approximately 25 to 30 dolphins and sell them to Dubai (the United Arab Emirates) for their newly constructed, multi-billion dollar, ultra-elaborate theme park.

This documentary addressed many of the "ethics" and cruelties endured in capturing dolphins from the wild and subsequently, selling them to the highest bidder, solely for the purpose of attracting tourism dollars to the many aquariums around the world. It certainly gives one pause for thought as to whether or not, this is humane treatment of these wonderful creatures.

In order for us to enjoy their presence in our parks and aquariums, dolphins must first be netted, trapped and taken from their pods (families). They are then temporarily kept corralled in a bay or cove that is fenced (underwater fencing) so they don't escape. During this time, it is determined which dolphins would be healthy and strong enough for a long journey away from home. It must also be determined which dolphins might be pregnant. These dolphins will then be eliminated for the purpose, as travel would not be safe for the mother and baby that she carries within her. The remaining dolphins might be kept corralled for months before arrangements can be made to sell and transport them to their new destination.

Transporting these magnificent creatures is yet another highly questionable practice. The dolphins are first transported by truck to the local air landing strips, where they are then lifted into the cargo area of the planes.... remembering that there is NO WATER for them to swim in during all this time. They are only sponged down with water so that their skins do not become too dry and dehydrated. The flight to their future destinations might take several hours.... ten, twelve or more, trapped within a plane, trapped with humans, suffering without their beloved ocean to swim in. The trip might even prove to be too traumatic for some.

No one ever says just how many dolphins actually survive this grueling trip or experience, as it can be extremely traumatic, and even deadly, to the dolphins. Is this perhaps why they purchase dozens at a time, knowing some won't live long enough to greet their new destination?

Of course, any company that deals in the hunting and sale of dolphins, for the "enjoyment" of the paying public, would want the public to know, (playing on people's sympathies for the animals no doubt), that when left to the devices of nature, as well as other "less civilized cultures", the dolphins suffer an even more cruel way of life, or, in fact, death. Is this perhaps their justification for netting, corralling and shipping them off to far away places, far from their natural habitat, using the guise that they are saving a species from possible extinction?

They depicted one example of how the native people of the Solomon Islands still capture the animals for food and currency, even in this day and age. They do in fact use the meat of the dolphins for food, just as they would with any other fish they catch. Nothing is wasted, as they also use the dolphin's teeth for currency throughout the neighboring islands. They also use the teeth in the making of beautiful, decorative jewelry to adorn themselves, or again, to use as currency or to sell as tourist trinkets. To many of us, THIS would seem a cruel and unethical treatment to these beautiful creatures.

However, do we have a right to dictate to these nations that it's time to enter the 21st century, forcing them to change their livelihood and a way of life that has endured unchanged, sustaining them for hundreds of centuries, just to fit our ways of thinking? On the other hand, are we doing more injustice to the dolphin's natural way of life by holding them in captivity, in the constrictive confines of an aquarium?

There is the dilemma as to whether this is or is not humane treatment of dolphins, or is it a case of good intentions gone awry? OR, is it really just all about the money that these companies can acquire through the sale and displaying of dolphins to any country who can afford the high price tag for these hunted and captured mammals of the sea? This does pose the question .... "which of these civilizations is being more cruel to the world's dolphin population?"

Oh, but those beautiful, playful, passive creatures of the sea, that we adore and pay homage to in endless ways, as they are so loving and forgiving of our human frailties and greed, so willingly performing their tricks to the delight of us humans. They appear so happy, swimming in our aquariums. In some ways, I suppose many would see this as reason alone to justify the means.

As for myself, even as I was once fortunate enough to see up close, a couple of beautiful dolphins swimming in a pool, located in the West Edmonton mall, I recall thinking at the time, that there was just something so very wrong with what I was witnessing. Yes, I will probably never get to see such a magnificent display ever again or be so close to a dolphin, even so, I just couldn't help but feel so much sympathy and heartbreak. These beautiful dolphins, creatures that once had the entire ocean to swim in, now restricted and confined by the limitations of an aquarium!

I think that I could actually live my entire life only seeing these grand angels of the sea in magazines, on the internet, or on television documentaries, only to know that they are within their own natural environment, doing what dolphins are meant to do.

I suppose it's all a matter of one's individual point of view!

Here are a few dolphin clips that I happened upon on "YouTube". This is where the dolphins should be swimming, in the wide-open expanse of the oceans, and, in my opinion, the only place where they should be viewed. After seeing these clips, you too might feel the same way.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=5us-v4bntP8 - A clip of dolphins blowing bubbles and how they entertain themselves with these bubbles

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VOp1tjEww1A&feature=related - A clip of dolphins swimming off the coast of Whakatane

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=OIcxvZFZXFc&NR=1 - An excellent clip of dolphins (close up) while they stampede past a boater.