Dolphins do not live well in captivity. They are considered one of the most socially bonded beings on earth. So being ripped from the ocean and place in tanks cannot be good for them. Life in the tank is like a death sentence. Dolphins can live up to 50 years in tanks, but most die with in two. There are currently more then 3000 Bottle-nose dolphins kept in captivity across the world. Once in captivity, it is difficult and costly to rehabilitate and release the animals back into the wild. They become dependant on the human trainer. Dolphins also suffer illness and death from the stresses caused by the tourist at exhibits.

The human desire to hold wild animals in captivity has raised the ethical question over thousand of years. Dolphins managed to escape until recently but now they are in high demand for research studies and tourist attractions.

Dolphins were first put on display in the 1860’s at London’s Westminster Aquarium. “ Although they were popular exhibits…their life expectancy proved to be very short and numerous attempts in both Europe and the United States …failed to improve survival rates” ( Donoghue and Wheeler, 1990). In 1938 the scientific studies of dolphins began. Dolphins were often tortured because of science. Dr. John Lilly, a pioneer in dolphin intelligence, “inserted electrodes into the brains of living dolphins, driving holes into their skulls with a carpenter’s hammer” ( Donoghue and Wheeler, 1990). Dr. Lilly eventually closed his research institute but many other like him exist.

As discoveries were made on dolphin behavior trainers became interested in dolphin entertainment. Dolphins were taught tricks and taught to perform. In 1950, dolphinaria opened and the public flocked to see the dolphin shows. When the TV show “ Flipper” aired it showed the public the smart and playful attributes of dolphins. “ As the popularity of dolphins mushroomed, so did the number of dolphins being captured for display”.( Donoghue and Wheeler, 1990). Below is a picture of the dolphins that perform daily at Sea World in Orlando.

In 1987, The International Commission of Whaling reported that 4580 cetacean (aquatic mostly marine mammals) were captured over the past 30 years for displaying purposes only. Over half were Bottle –nose dolphins. That figure doesn’t include the number of dolphins that dies while being captured. “ Records in Ca dolphinaria show that in 1975, 40% of their cetaceans dies during capture and this figure is probably typical of many dolphin capture operations” ( Donoghue and Wheeler, 1990) . Below is a picture of a dolphin that died during capture.

Many risks exist for holding dolphins captive. In smaller, cheaper dolphin institutions poor hygiene, sanitation, and food cause mortality. “ In poorly supervised situations, dolphins frequently choke to death on objects thrown into them by the public. Rugby balls, gloves, camera holders, and tin cans have all been found in the stomach of dead animals” ( Donoghue and Wheeler, 1990). Even in better equipped institutions many dolphins die. Some just can’t adjust to life in captivity. High stress and boredom can also lead to physical illness and death. Captive dolphins can suffer stress by being watched by thousands of humans each day. In 1981, The National Aquarium in Baltimore build a multi-million dollar tank to house three Bottle-nose dolphins. Crowds of up to 1000 people per hour came to see the dolphins. After 50 days. The dolphins became ill and were brought back to the Dolphin Research Centre in Florida where they were diagnosed to have gastro-intestinal ulcers. Research shows that the dolphins were scared by the noise they heard from the crowd but the tank didn’t allow them area enough to get away from the noise.

The rare one horned Narwhal and many river dolphins cannot survive in captivity. Others commit suicide when placed in captivity. “ When a dolphinarium in the Netherlands took possession of a rare beaked whale, it kept throwing itself against the tank wall until it broke its beak and died” ( Donoghue and Wheeler, 1990). Violence and aggression are also known to heighten when dolphins are kept in captivity.

Since dolphin captivity is such a controversial issue here are some points that are made by both sides of the issue.

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