This blog was Wildlife Matters Investigates in the above Podcast
Dolphins and Whales are sentient, highly intelligent mammals – just like us. We know they have feelings, and the ability to learn, they live in family groups within communities, known as pods. They have nursery groups to teach their young, utilising play as a learning tool – again, just like us.
But that’s where the similarity ends. You see, some people believe it is good to take dolphins and whales from their family groups, keep them in tiny tanks and ‘train’ them to do ‘tricks’ for other people who will pay a lot of money to watch the Dolphins and Whales performing. They call it entertainment – we call it abuse!
Dolphins, Orcas and Whales don’t live in tanks, they live in the ocean – right? So, here are some tell-tale signs that dolphins, orcas and whales – were Born to be Wild and not kept in tanks for our entertainment
Collapsed Dorsal Fins
Have you ever noticed that captive orcas have collapsed floppy dorsal fins? It certainly doesn’t look right but according to a member of SeaWorld’s education department, orcas have collapsed dorsal fins due to genetics, gravity, and injury from play … nothing to do with their captivity. So, now take a look at a wild orca, either on TV or look at pictures on the internet, or read books – what you will consistently see are their dorsal fins are vertical and stable. In fact, less than 1% of wild orcas have collapsed dorsal fins whilst all 56 orcas currently in captivity have collapsed fins.
Aggression Amongst Tank “Pod” Members
In the wild dolphins and orcas are communal animals. They rely on the skills of the pod to survive. They work collaboratively when hunting for food, teaching and rearing the young, even when resting, some of the pod are on the lookout. We’re not suggesting they never fall out, but it is clear the pods work together as teams, or as we may say as a family unit.
Aggression in captive animals is notably higher. Both Dolphins and Orcas are often kept with other ‘tank mates’ from different pods and even other species, very often ones that would not normally meet in the wild! They cannot communicate and become frustrated by their confinement. They have nowhere to escape conflict, so they suffer from each other’s stress. Many captive dolphins and orca have injuries caused by tank mates. This rarely occurs in their wild environment. Although dolphins and orcas are natural carnivores they are not aggressive towards each other instead, they rely on each other for survival.
Abnormal Repetitive Behaviours
Captive animals, including zoo animals, dolphins and orcas, often exhibit stereotypical behaviour, which is the same pattern observed in humans are kept captive or imprisoned. In Cetaceans, the stereotypic Dolphin and Orca behaviours include swimming in circles repetitively, establishing pecking orders, and lying motionless on the surface or on the aquarium floor for relatively long periods of time.
Broken Teeth
If you had to live every day confined to your bed, you would find you have very little to do. There is no purpose to life. Many dolphins and orcas spend their time biting down on bars that separate them in their living pools. These ‘living accommodation pools’ are considerably smaller than the ‘performance pools’ that the paying public sees. Unfortunately, this neurotic behaviour results in serious dental issues. Captive cetaceans’ teeth are often chipped or broken, with some needing dental work to drill the pulp from the inside of their teeth.
Self-Mutilation
Dolphins and Orcas have been known to slam themselves against the sides of their tanks and ram the cage bars at high speed, causing cuts, bruises and skin abrasions. Orcas, in particular, rub the tip of their noses against the bars, wearing away the skin and creating large sores.
Vomiting – Yes really!
According to former SeaWorld Orca trainer John Hargrove, “Nearly every single killer whale regurgitated their food after we ended our interaction.” Some have been seen playing within their own vomit, probably through boredom.
Suicide Attempts
For some dolphins and orcas, a captive life proves too much. They have been known to throw themselves from their tanks, preferring to die than to remain captive.
Reliance on Medication
Dolphins and Orcas can suffer from a form of depression. SeaWorld has admitted to medicating their orcas with psychoactive drugs (similar to valium). Surely a recognition then that these animals are suffering stress and anxiety and possibly severe mental illness. According to SeaWorld the treatment is to calm the animals and has nothing to do with them being captive.
Unusual Illnesses
Captive dolphins and orcas are kept in unnatural environments, so it isn’t too surprising they suffer from some unusual medical conditions. For example, in warm climates, the small pools heat up very quickly, and unable to dive to cooler water, as they would in the ocean, captive cetaceans suffer a form of sunburn from the UV rays. Their dark skin offers no protection and they burn. Also, captive cetaceans spend a lot of time floating on the water surface due to boredom – something, unknown in the wild.
Kanduke, a large male orca, at SeaWorld, died unexpectedly, the cause was a pathogen transmitted by mosquitoes, he can only have been infected whilst lying on the water’s surface. There were no previous recorded cases of this but then just think for one moment – when in the wild would a mosquito meet a killer whale?
Dolphins that are captive in Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas suffered from a contagious ‘pox’, caused by stress and poor general health according to a report from the U.S. National Institute of Health.
Accelerated Deaths
According to a research study conducted by Robert Small and Douglas Demaster, the annual mortality rate for captive cetaceans was two and a half times higher than that of wild cetaceans. SeaWorld disputes this, claiming that with modern care techniques and antibiotics their captive animals can outlive their wild cousins.
There remains much conjecture and the real facts are hard to establish. It is believed that wild orcas can live as long as 80 to 90 years, whilst only two female orcas in captivity have passed the age of 40, and no males have lived longer than 35 years.
Don’t be fooled – if you buy a ticket to one of these shows – you are supporting the capture of wild animals to be kept captive and forced to perform for our entertainment – Think about it for a moment – is that what you really want?
We do not believe there to be any justifiable reason to keep wild cetaceans, or indeed any wild animal, in captivity. Profit and entertainment are not a reason to steel an animal away from its home and keep it in unnatural conditions that cause it physical, emotional and psychological distress and suffering, to lead a miserable and unfulfilled existence and in many cases, reduce its natural life span by up to 50%!
In this blog, we have highlighted just some of the common issues that captive animals face. Their suffering to entertain people is both shocking and cruel, and those who profit from this vile industry should be the ones who are locked into a tiny space – for a very long time.
They have given a life sentence to these sentient fellow mammals, who can no longer return to the wild. The bare minimum we need to do now is to close aquariums and use the profits of the companies to build ‘open sea pens’ where the captive inmates can live out the rest of their lives as naturally as possible in the ocean.
Further Reading
Captive dolphins endure extensive suffering in their tragic lives by World Animal Protection
Facts about Captivity by The Dolphin Project
Marine Mammals in Captivity by Humane Society HSI UK
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