Captive Cetaceans: A Handbook for Campaigners - Whale and ...

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volunteers of the Whale Rescue Team, County lifeguards, Los Angeles police officers and concerned citizens stayed with the calf while the Baywatch boat and two helicopters searched for the mother. Without NMFS authorization, the infant was trucked to Sea World escorted by the California Highway Patrol where it was reluctantly received. Amazingly, the infant not only survived, but thrived and was dubbed “J.J.” Sea World, too, flourished with endless positive publicity, never acknowledging the true saviours. Regarding NMFS hesitancy, Stranding Coordinator Joe Cordaro admitted, “The agency didn’t look too good on this one” (Rodgers, 1997). Stranded cetaceans: release factors... Currently, no regulations clearly define criteria for the "releasability determination" of beached/stranded marine mammals, nor define time limitations within which the determination should be made, however an analysis of current views and practices was published in in 1996 (St. Aubin, et el). Although recommendations were made, no regulations have been implemented. This ambiguity has allowed animals to be held captive for years without permits and without requiring marine parks to enter animals acquired through stranding networks into their Marine Mammal Inventory Reports (MMIRs). Without clear criteria, stranded animals are subject to premature release or inapropriate detention. According to the workshop findings on Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release of Marine Mammals (St. Aubin, et al, 1996), 12 live-stranded cetaceans were permanantely retained by facilities, while 24 live-stranded, rehabilitated cetaceans were released since 1973. It is further defined that an animal is determined “retained” if it had been held at least one year without a formal decision to retain it permanently; or, if a formal decision was made by Letter of Agreement or permit for permanent care even if the animal died within one year of that determination. Excluded from the data are animals that died within one year without a formal determination on their status; and those held longer than a year but later released. It is noted that records are less complete on stranded cetaceans that were released. But according to MMIRs up to 1995, a total of 30 beached/stranded cetaceans were recorded: 17 were permanently retained for more than one year, 11 died during rehabilitation, and two were released. A number of beached or stranded animals appear in MMIRs which died within a few days, while others are not reported at all. At least seven cetaceans are known to have been retained for more than one year, but never entered on MMIRs. Therefore, it is not known how many cetaceans acquired through stranding networks were actually kept, or were eventually released. Clearly, inconsistencies are revealed between the two sources. As of April 1995, two common dolphins, a pilot whale, two Risso's dolphins, two Pacific white-sided dolphins, an orca, four harbour porpoises, three spotted dolphins, a rough-toothed dolphin, and six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, are recognised by NMFS as having been permanently retained through strandings (Wilkinson, 1995). With the exception of the bottlenose dolphins and one common dolphin, none of these species have fared well in captivity. 62
The "professional" opinion of the treating facility's staff veterinarian may be the most influential factor in determining whether or not the animal has been rehabilitated sufficiently to be released as required by law; or if determined "non-releasable", permanently retained by the treating facility, or transferred to another facility. This practice represents an obvious conflict of interest. Although there are more than 600 aquariums, zoos, non-profit organisations, and universities participating in marine mammal rehabilitation within the U.S. national stranding network, marine parks are generally the only facilities equipped to accept beached/stranded cetaceans. Aquariums frequently have comfortable and convenient relationships with regional stranding networks, which present a greater opportunity to obtain new animals. Biologist Daniel Odell, director of research for Sea World's Florida park, also serves as scientific co-ordinator for the Southeast U.S. (SEUS) stranding region. Sea World of Florida is a key element in the SEUS network (Odell, 1991). John Prescott, Executive Director of the New England Aquarium, boldly stated that he hoped to retain pilot whales and white-sided dolphins rescued through its stranding programme (cited in Dumanoski, 1990). Marine parks should be encouraged and praised for genuine efforts made to rehabilitate and release beached and stranded animals. However, since 1993, concerns have been raised that marine parks may be reluctant to treat beached/stranded Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. According to the Marine Mammal Commission (1994, 1995), tissue samples taken in 1993 revealed morbillivirus infection in five cetaceans in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1994, morbillivirus was found in tissue samples of 18 dead stranded dolphins on the Texas coast. These concerns were confirmed when the first case of exposure to morbillivirus was documented in a stranded common dolphin on the west coast and sent to Sea World for treatment in August 1995. No one knows how the virus is transmitted, or its relationship to stranding mortality. Morbillivirus is similar to the virus which causes distemper in dogs and measles in humans. After the virus was detected on the west coast, Sea World and Marine World Africa USA announced that they would temporarily shut their doors to other stranded animals in October 1995. Both facilities announced a permanent moratorium on accepting stranded dolphins after a second case was confirmed on the west coast from a December 1995 stranding, at which time the second dolphin was euthanised. By refusing to treat stranded cetaceans, a research opportunity has been rejected to learn more about the virus infection and its effects on wild populations. This obviously undermines marine parks' professed committment toward science. Whilst morbillivirus was suspected as the cause of the 1987-88 mass strandings of cetaceans in the Gulf of Mexico (and, since 1987, strandings off the Atlantic coast), it has not definitely been confirmed, despite extensive research. Under USDA/APHIS, the Animal Welfare Act oversees licensed "exhibitors" (among others), and sets minimum standards for humane housing, handling, care and transportation (AWA, 1989). One of the standards requires that each facility provide a separate isolation pool for marine mammals, including "a separate, non-common, water circulation and filtration system for isolated animals." Only the largest facilities comply with this requirement, yet it is believed not one facility has ever been cited for non-compliance of this regulation. Tom Goff, Sea World's curator of mammals in San 63
Page 1 and 2:
Captive Cetaceans: A Handbook for C
Page 3 and 4:
APPENDICES A: Cetacean-Free Facilit
Page 6 and 7:
SECTION 1 Introducing cetaceans...
Page 8 and 9:
graceful, but not particularly fast
Page 10 and 11:
SECTION 2 Captivity Capture methods
Page 12 and 13: chronic inactive hepatitis, acute h
Page 14 and 15: Mexico from Texas to northwest Flor
Page 16 and 17: SECTION 3 Confinement.. More consid
Page 18 and 19: In August 1967, Marineland of the P
Page 20 and 21: In early January 1987, Kotar report
Page 22 and 23: age, or to illnesses or injuries th
Page 24 and 25: SECTION 4 Responses to typical pro-
Page 26 and 27: NMFS authorized four facilities to
Page 28 and 29: Response: While many people do visi
Page 30 and 31: ‘It’s not natural’ (given by
Page 32 and 33: catch a few zzz's in the seas, danc
Page 34 and 35: evidence for supposing that captive
Page 36 and 37: population dynamics. Photo-identifi
Page 38 and 39: (like talking about ‘motivation',
Page 40 and 41: SECTION 5 Refuting the myths. The a
Page 42 and 43: Most disturbing is the number of pe
Page 44 and 45: • Zoos have rarely acknowledged p
Page 46 and 47: Aquarium. "The students did not get
Page 48 and 49: species will be increasingly essent
Page 50 and 51: yielded some important findings on
Page 52 and 53: interesting questions about the sys
Page 54 and 55: from the other whales during the bi
Page 56 and 57: Sea World's 1993 handout, The Facts
Page 58 and 59: particular animal was subdominant a
Page 60 and 61: Conclusion... Captive breeding is a
Page 64 and 65: Diego, has said, "We don't have a s
Page 66 and 67: Recently, the origin of the profess
Page 68 and 69: strategies is convincing policy mak
Page 70 and 71: mammal community definitely knows w
Page 72 and 73: Larry McInerney, who constructed th
Page 74 and 75: SECTION 8 Alternatives to cetacean
Page 76 and 77: Despite their continuing insistence
Page 78 and 79: that human-designed naturalistic en
Page 80 and 81: discovered that zoos are not, in fa
Page 82 and 83: Clearly, reintroductions are certai
Page 84 and 85: Aquarium - was disposed of at sea,
Page 86 and 87: eceived extensive publicity interna
Page 88 and 89: Lolita, the oldest surviving captiv
Page 90 and 91: through a meticulously-planned, gra
Page 92: dollars). By 1988, concrete tanks h
Page 95 and 96: AZA/Alliance. (1993, July 28). Test
Page 97 and 98: Brumsted, R. (1984, August 1). Lett
Page 99 and 100: DeMaster, D. & Drevenak, J. (1988).
Page 101 and 102: Geraci, J. (1986). Introduction and
Page 103 and 104: Jamieson, D. (1985). Against zoos,
Page 105 and 106: Marinelife Oceanarium. (undated). F
Page 107 and 108: (1991). Essay: Looking at captive d
Page 109 and 110: Rodgers, T. (1997, January 22). You
Page 111 and 112: (1990). Marine mammal behavioral di
Page 113:
Winston, M.L. (1992, December 28).
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