Humans are fascinated by the intelligent and gregarious nature of the dolphin. Unfortunately, as one consequence of this fascination, dolphins are commercially exploited in marine parks, aquariums and "swim-with-the-dolphins" (SWTD) attractions worldwide.
Humane World for Animals (formerly called the Humane Society of the United States) strongly opposes captive SWTD attractions, which even if strictly regulated, threaten the safety of both the dolphins and the human participants.
Life in the wild
The very nature of dolphins make them uniquely unsuited to confinement. In the wild, dolphins live in large groups (called pods), often in tight family units. Social bonds often last for many years. In some species, they last for a lifetime.
Dolphins travel long distances each day, sometimes swimming in a straight line for 100 miles, other times remaining in a certain area for hours or days, moving several miles along a coastline and then turning to retrace their path.
These marine mammals can dive up to several hundred feet and can stay underwater for 15 minutes or more. They spend only 10% to 20% of their time at the surface.
The sea is to dolphins much as the air is to birds—it's a three-dimensional environment, where they can move up and down and side to side. But dolphins don't stop to perch. They never come to shore. Dolphins are always swimming, even when they "sleep." They are always aware, and always moving. Understanding this, it's easy to see the tragedy of life in captivity for these ocean creatures.
Program profile
In the U.S., the National Marine Fisheries Service lost its regulatory authority over SWTD attractions in 1994. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service now has sole jurisdiction over them.)
In 1990, NMFS estimated that over 40,000 people swam with captive dolphins in the U.S. That number has increased dramatically in the decades since, and the typical cost today is more than $125 per session. SWTD proponents claim educational, recreational, and therapeutic motivations and benefits. Most programs allow swimmers as young as 10 years of age to participate.
The U.S. now has between 14 and 18 SWTD attractions, some of which are in dedicated SWTD facilities while others are associated with traditional dolphin show exhibits in marine parks and aquariums. SWTD programs provide guests "educational opportunities" in a wide range of environments, ranging from sea pens in tropical waters (as with several facilities in Florida) to concrete tanks (such as the facilities at Sea World).
Several SWTD programs offer "dolphin-assisted therapy" (DAT) for patients (including young children) suffering from, among other conditions, Down's Syndrome, cerebral palsy, cancer, head and spinal injuries, or autism. However, there's no evidence that interacting with dolphins has any greater therapeutic effect than interacting with domesticated animals, such as puppies, kittens or farm animals. There is no need to imprison wildlife to benefit humans.
SWTD attractions in other countries are an even greater problem, because regulation is often absent and conditions poor. In some facilities, pregnant females have been overworked. Some dolphins are contained in small pools, often surrounded by jagged, rusty fences or located near sewage outfalls. They may be fed rotten fish or suffer from disease and starvation. Regions that have seen an explosion in the growth of these programs include the Caribbean and the South Pacific.
There are several attractions in tropical resort areas around the world. For example, there are at least two facilities in the Bahamas; the Dolphin Quest facility in Tahiti originally held two wild-caught rough-toothed dolphins (a deep-water species) in a shallow lagoon. A facility in La Paz, Mexico, was the focus of extraordinary controversy when it captured eight dolphins in late December 2000 from waters off the Baja peninsula and a female dolphin died only a few weeks later. It was finally closed in late 2003 when four more dolphins died after a hurricane—the remaining three dolphins went to another facility.
Most facilities outside the U.S. capture their dolphins directly from the wild. Capture is highly traumatic for wild dolphins and may cause an often fatal condition known as capture stress or capture myopathy. In addition, the status of the populations from which dolphins are captured is often unknown, and the removal of even a few individuals may have negative impacts on the pod members left behind.
Safety concerns
Captive dolphins may exhibit an assimilation tendency, expecting humans to fulfill the natural social roles of their wild counterparts. They may become submissive or sexually aggressive when interacting with humans. Dolphins in SWTD programs have demonstrated agitated and aggressive behavior under the stressful conditions of forced interaction.
These behaviors may result in serious physical injury to swimmers. SWTD programs have reported human injuries including lacerations, tooth rakes, internal injuries, broken bones and shock. There is the potential for dolphins to suffer from unnatural exposure to human bacterial and viral infections, and they have experienced stress-related conditions, including ulcers.
What you can do
Write to SWTD attractions and express your concerns. If they refuse to stop their SWTD programs, insist that only captive-born bottlenose dolphins be used, to limit as much as possible any increase in captures of wild dolphins to stock present and future attractions. There are currently almost 400 bottlenose dolphins in captivity in the U.S., with many more in facilities around the world, many of whom are used in breeding programs. If these programs are as successful as captive facilities claim, then capture from the wild can and should be eliminated.
Question program safety records for both humans and dolphins. Demand adequate care and conditions for the dolphins, including feeding them restaurant-quality fish and requiring large pool size. Insist that they provide refuge areas, where dolphins can go at will if they don't want to interact with people. Insist that the business limit working hours for the dolphins, and demand low swimmer-to-dolphin ratios (no more than two swimmers per dolphin).
Don't patronize hotels, resorts or cruise lines that offer SWTD attractions to tourists. Write to them and let them know why they're not getting your business and that tourism shouldn't depend on the invasive exploitation of wildlife. Encourage everyone you know to avoid SWTD facilities and other exploitative wildlife attractions.