Special Issue Survey of Cetaceans in Captive Care

324 Couquiaudinterfere with the parturient female’s contractionsor swimming movements (survey). Calveshave been injured and killed by colliding repeatedlywith walls because they lack control of theirswimming direction in their early days of life.They also have been injured when stranded accidentallyin drains or skimmers due to wave actionin pools (Amundin, 1986; Sweeney & Samansky,1995; survey). The pool preferably will have alarge, smooth surface area; be free of dangerousprotrusions, sharp angles, unprotected drains, orvery shallow ledges or beaches where a calf mightget stranded; and all fixtures and features shouldbe rounded or padded. It will be equipped with a“baby cot” to prevent the calf from bumping intowalls (see “Baby Cot” section in Chapter 5).To improve the chances of a calf’s successfulbirth and survival, the maternity pool will belarge enough to contain the mother, the calf, andat least one additional female. Although the role ofthe “auntie” dolphin who assists the mother duringbirth is not conclusive, according to some scientists(Ridgway, 1995), the presence of one or twofemales during the time of isolation of pregnant ornursing females, and during the delivery, has provedto be beneficial (Evans, 1987). There are manysurveyed facilities that have not isolated pregnantfemales and females with calves, with great success;however, the behaviour of adult males shouldbe closely monitored because male aggression mayhave resulted in the high incidence of stillbirths andcalf mortality in the past (Ridgway, 1995; see alsoChapter 8).Swim-With-The-Dolphin FacilitiesSince the beginning of the 1990s, several facilitieshave initiated programmes proposing interactionswith dolphins in the water. There are varioustypes of Swim-With-The-Dolphin (SWTD)programmes—from shallow water or wade interactiveprogrammes to SCUBA-diving with dolphinsin open water. In the USA, the Departmentof Agriculture regulates SWTD facilities, animalcare, and personnel training (Anonymous, 1979-1984, 1995; 1998a; 1998b; 1999). Similar programmesexist in countries such as Honduras,Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Israel, Spain,Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and severalCaribbean Islands. USA regulations propose differentnames for pools such as “interactive area,”which corresponds to the main pool, and “bufferarea” and “sanctuary area,” which correspond toconsecutive holding pools.A majority of SWTD programmes are heldin facilities with natural environments, but moreand more are proposed in semi-natural andartificial environments. USA regulations proposeto discriminate between a “shallow waterinteractive program,” encompassing wade programmes,encounter programmes, or any other programmesin which “a member of the public enters theprimary enclosure of a SWTD to interact withthe animal and in which the participants remainprimarily stationary and non-buoyant,” and programmeswhere members of the public are allowedto swim with the animals in a free or controlledmanner. The requirements for the animals, swimmers,or staff will not be covered here. Because theUSA regulations for SWTD contain very valuableinformation and guidelines, please refer to USDAdocuments available from the Federal Registeronline (Anonymous, 2005).As is recommended in these regulations, gatesbetween pools should be left open at all timesduring interactive/swim sessions to allow thedolphins freedom of separation from the publicin the water. Both buffer and sanctuary areas areoff-limits to the public. The buffer area should belocated between the interactive and the sanctuaryareas as it “is necessary to ensure that the sanctuaryarea is an adequate distance from the interactivearea” (Anonymous, 1995, 1998a, 1998b). Incase this is not the existing layout, if two holdingpools are connected to the main pool, it is possibleto leave one access gate open and close the otherone to transform one holding pool into a bufferarea and the other into a sanctuary area. A largeshallow ledge or beach will always be available toparticipants for safety and convenience.Literature CitedAllen, M. E. (1996). Introduction: Basic husbandry. InD. G. Kleiman, M. E. Allen, K. V. Thompson, S.Lumpkin, & H. Harris (Eds.), Wild mammals in captivity:Principles and techniques (pp. 1-3). Chicago: TheUniversity of Chicago Press.Amundin, M. (1986). Breeding the bottle-nosed dolphinTursiops truncatus at the Kolmarden Dolphinarium.International Zoo Yearbook, 24/25, 263-271.Anonymous. (1979-1984, 1995). Specifications for thehumane handling, care, treatment and transportationof marine mammals (9 CFR, Subpart E, §3.100-118).Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, theAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service.Anonymous. (1995). U.S. Department of Agriculture, theAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Animalwelfare: Marine mammals (9 CFR Parts 1 and 3).Federal Register, 60(14), 4383-4389.Anonymous. (1998a). U.S. Department of Agriculture, theAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animalwelfare: Marine mammals (9 CFR Parts 1 and 3).Federal Register, 63(172), 47128-47151.Anonymous. (1998b). U.S. Department of Agriculture, theAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animal