The Case against Marine Mammals in Captivity - The Humane ...

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Captive studies have been known to give erroneous and misleadinginformation, not borne out by comparative studies on wild animals,and researchers using captive animals have admitted that the constraintsput on cetaceans, such as small pool sizes limiting naturalbehaviors, lead to biases in their results.As a result, dolphinaria and aquaria often claim that they fosterresearch and scientific study of marine mammals, thereby contributingto both education and conservation. However, muchof what can be learned from captive marine mammals has in factalready been learned. Reproductive physiology, such as lengthof gestation, and general physiology, such as visual acuity, havealready been examined in some detail. Furthermore, using reproductiveinformation from captive cetaceans may actually bedetrimental to conservation and management due to unnaturaland atypical breeding behavior in the artificial groupingsof captive animals. 126The social environment for captured dolphins is radicallychanged. Individuals who might never socialize in the wild areforced into close proximity, which can lead to stress and injury.Photo: WSPARESEARCHAs mentioned previously, the majority of the public, as evidencedin opinion polls such as those conducted in the United States andCanada, believes that marine mammals should not be kept in captivityunless there are major educational or scientific benefits. 125There may be some research questions that the study of captiveanimals can answer most directly (such as questions regardingcognition or the impacts of human-caused noise on hearing), butresearch programs that are not part of the entertainment industrycould address those questions. Indeed, due to advancements intechnology, such as biopsy darts, electronic tags, and underwatervideo, as well as improvements in capture and release techniques,127 in-depth study of the behavior and physiology of freerangingmarine mammals is now possible, adding to the redundancyof captive animals as research subjects.One of the most famous critics of using the behavior of cetaceansin captivity as a model for animals in the wild was the environmen-Research results from captive beluga studies have frequently been poor predictors for wild populations. In addition, despite yearsof holding this species in captivity, much of beluga biology remains a mystery. Photo: BigStockPhoto/Shawn Roberts14
Most cutting-edge behavioral research is being conducted on wild populations, with the aid of innovative technologiesand methodologies. Captive marine mammals can offer only limited views of natural behavior and social structure.talist and film-maker Jacques Cousteau, who said, “There is aboutas much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins incaptivity as there would be studying mankind by only observingprisoners held in solitary confinement.” Keeping marine mammalsin captivity can answer few of the many questions scientists haveabout natural social interactions. Most of the current behavioralresearch using captive animals relates to husbandry concerns, 128does little to benefit wild animals, 129 and can provide somedubious results. 130Behavioral ecologists do not in general look to public displayfacilities to conduct their studies. The future in behavioral researchlies indisputably in the wild. In fact, captive studies have beenknown to give erroneous and misleading information, not borneout by comparative studies on wild animals, 131 and researchersusing captive animals have admitted that the constraints put oncetaceans, such as small pool sizes limiting natural behaviors,lead to biases in their results. 132Even more alarming is the tendency by some public displayfacilities to market themselves as research organizations and gainnon-profit tax status, although their primary function is to provideentertainment and serve as tourist attractions. The DolphinResearch Center (originally named the Flipper Sea School) in theFlorida Keys calls itself an education and research facility and in2003 made US$3.4 million, primarily through admissions and feescharged for in-water encounters with captive dolphins. 133 Despitehaving an annual income that would rival some marine laboratories,the actual research conducted is minimal, and relies primarilyon outside researchers to use the captive animals as test subjects. 134To illustrate the relative paucity of marine mammal research contributedby public display facilities, papers presented at the 2007Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) Biennial Conference onthe Biology of Marine Mammals included 571 presentations dealingwith aspects of cetacean biology; only 5.1 percent of thesewere the result of work with captive animals. Of these few studies,more than a third were conducted through institutions that arenot open to the public. There were only two abstracts submittedby SeaWorld, the largest holder of captive marine mammals in theworld. 135 At several previous SMM biennial conferences, no majorNorth American facility made a presentation.Research on captive animals can only be justified in circumstanceswhere it is necessary to resolve critical questions to benefit theanimals themselves or animals in the wild. It should be conductedthrough research-sabbatical programs, in which animals are heldonly for brief periods. Such programs have been pioneered successfullyby several marine mammal researchers. 136 Dolphinariaare not essential to continued research on marine mammals.15
Page 1 and 2: THE CASE AGAINSTMarine Mammalsin Ca
Page 3 and 4: Authors: Naomi A. Rose, E.C.M. Pars
Page 5 and 6: Public display facilities often pro
Page 7 and 8: IntroductionWhen drafting the Marin
Page 9 and 10: Education, Conservation, and Resear
Page 11 and 12: habitat (known as in situ) or in ca
Page 13 and 14: having a well-organized group is cr
Page 15 and 16: took advantage of a period of gover
Page 17 and 18: Unfortunately, captive facilities r
Page 19: than this one), even when there are
Page 23 and 24: plans are often wholly inadequate).
Page 25 and 26: sanitation methods that kill vegeta
Page 27 and 28: A prime example of the inappropriat
Page 29 and 30: Cetaceans are difficult to diagnose
Page 31 and 32: allowed to enter the area and dolph
Page 33 and 34: A detailed survey of public display
Page 35 and 36: Curaçao. The facility tried to dow
Page 37 and 38: The irony of the ocean beckoning ju
Page 39 and 40: This dolphin has been fitted with a
Page 41 and 42: The very traits that make dolphins
Page 43 and 44: The behavior of cetaceans also impl
Page 45 and 46: Most zoos and aquaria currently obt
Page 47 and 48: Of at least 193 orcas held in capti
Page 49 and 50: What replaces, with equal impact, p
Page 51 and 52: only occurs in areas where there is
Page 53 and 54: sions. This facility had already co
Page 55 and 56: The Solomon Islands government has
Page 57 and 58: S. R. Kellert and J. Dunlap, “Inf
Page 59 and 60: in May 2006). When one considers th
Page 61 and 62: paper, from 1954, could be found th
Page 63 and 64: traits (e.g., docile disposition, s
Page 65 and 66: cial and non-profit sponsors, and s
Page 67 and 68: D. A. Carder, “Hearing deficits m
Page 69 and 70: 154 Stereotypies are generally nega
Page 71 and 72:
y J. P. Schroeder entitled “Breed
Page 73 and 74:
Washington Legal Times, stating tha
Page 75 and 76:
about the welfare of the dolphins a
Page 77 and 78:
251 Small and DeMaster, “Acclimat
Page 79 and 80:
Pinnipeds and Other Non-Cetaceans28
Page 81 and 82:
held for two years in a tank hidden
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