Alexis Essary
Simone Savannah
English 102
Personal Academic Essay
February 3, 2014
Marine Mammals in Captivity
When I was younger, I traveled to many different tropical places on vacations
with family and conferences with my dad’s business. One of these places was Cabo
San Lucas, Mexico, where I went swimming with bottlenose dolphins being held in
captivity as a tourist attraction. I was about seven years old at the time. My parents,
my younger sister, and I arrived at the facility early in the morning. We were put in a
group with another family and spent the next two hours crowded around a pool
with other families and our very own dolphin. Each of us took turns feeding, playing
with, and riding this dolphin. About three years later, I traveled to Florida with my
entire family (there were 25 of us), for a week at Disney World. While in Orlando,
we all packed into vans and went to Sea World to enjoy the aquatic themed shows
and rides. The highlight of our time, of course, was the orca show. Before the show
began, the whale was kept behind a glass wall to keep in from entering the
performance area. Finally, the wall let up and the whale broke free, beginning its
display of various tricks for the audience. The experiences I had at Sea World and
the dolphin facility in Mexico did not bother me, because I did not understand the
true nature of marine mammals.
However, my opinion on these kinds of attractions changed dramatically on a
trip to Hawaii during my freshman year of high school. I was there in February,
which is the best month for whale watching. Thousands of humpback whales travel
to the Hawaiian Islands every winter to have their babies in warm water. On our last
day in Maui, we boarded a sailboat and went whale watching with the Pacific Whale
Foundation. While on the boat, we witnessed whales leaping out of the water and
spouting at a rate of about every ten minutes or so. Our tour guides even put a
microphone underwater so we could hear whales sing their songs to each other. The
most amazing and memorable part of the experience was seeing a calf lying on its
back, splashing the water with its flippers. The guide said that there was no reason
for this behavior; the baby must have just been playing around and showing off for
its admirers. Witnessing the behavior of these incredibly intelligent creatures in the
wild forever changed my view of holding marine mammals in captivity. I now
understand that they should not be used as tourist attractions, because marine
mammals are very intelligent and being held in captivity causes them psychological
problems, which have led to the deaths of many people and animals.
Dolphins and whales should not be held in captivity, because they are
exceptionally intelligent animals with complex cognitive capabilities. Many studies
have proven these abilities through observations of these animals. In one such
study, bottlenose dolphins were able to understand an artificial language system. In
this study, dolphins were observed relating certain objects to one another and
connecting many symbols into a single instruction (Source 1). The capability of
dolphins to understand an artificial language system is strong evidence for their
exceptional intelligence. Also, according to summarized studies, cetaceans (whales,
dolphins, and porpoises) have been observed exhibiting very complex behaviors.
These behaviors include understanding numbers, alloparental care (babysitting),
using tools, problem solving, innovation, cooperative hunting and social alliances,
vocal imitation, and self-awareness (Source 3). These creatures are clearly
intellectual animals with complex abilities similar to humans. Therefore, being held
in captivity is extremely inconvenient and damaging to animals with such
capabilities. This is why dolphins and whales should be left in their natural habitats
and not be forced to perform for or interact with humans. The captivity of such
complex and social animals also causes them psychological damage and injury and
death to animals and humans.
In addition to their intelligence, the psychological damage to dolphins and
whales in captivity is another reason why they should be left in the wild. While
dolphins and killer whales are natural predators, there is evidence that captivity
increases their aggression and causes them a great deal of stress. Proof of this is in
the fact that while many humans have been violently murdered by orcas in captivity,
no human has ever been killed by an orca in the wild (Source 2). Apparently,
captivity causes killer whales to become aggressive and capable of murder. Similar
affects are seen in dolphins that are captured for interactive programs. According to
the Humane Society, when these predators are denied the ability to forage for their
food, they may develop ulcers and abnormal aggression and begin to pace or selfmutilate (Source 4). Interactive programs also damage dolphins psychologically by
forcing them to be submissive to humans, which affects the dominance structure of
the dolphins’ own social groups. This forced submission causes increased
aggression to humans and submissive dolphins (Source 4). The psychological
damage that captivity causes these intelligent creatures is a major reason why they
should not be held in captivity. This damage has also led to the deaths and injuries
of many people and animals.
The final important reason that marine mammals should not be held in
captivity is that, in addition to causing psychological damage to very intelligent
creatures, their captivity has led to the injury and death of many animals and
humans. These injuries and deaths, although often reported as accidents, are no
coincidences and are a result of increased aggression due to captivity. One example
took place in August of 1989 at the Sea World of San Diego, where one orca rammed
another during a live show, causing the other to die 45 minute later due to extreme
blood loss (Source 4). However, other animals are not always the victims of attacks
from marine mammals in captivity. It is estimated that over half of workers have
been injured by the marine mammals they work with (Source 2). Some trainers
have even been drowned or dismembered by orcas. Dolphins are also capable of
aggressive attacks on human. Between the years 1989 and 1994 there were over a
dozen reports of injuries from Swim with the Dolphins attractions, including many
broken bones (Source 2). All of these examples point to the increased aggression of
dolphins and whales as the reason for such violent attacks. To prevent further
violence, marine mammals should be released and kept out of captivity.
In conclusion, the issue of marine mammals being held in captivity is one that
is real, but is not often discussed. However, many studies have been done that show
cetaceans to be very intelligent and social animals that suffer psychological damage
when they are taken from their natural habitats. Also, there have been numerous
attacks by captive marine mammals on both humans and other animals. Captivity of
these animals is clearly damaging and dangerous, and therefore it should no longer
exist. Unfortunately there are still hundreds of parks and tourist attractions, which
allow this to continue. It is up to the tourist to make responsible decisions about
what kind of attractions to support. Although swimming with dolphins and
watching killer whales do tricks is fun, participation in such activities supports the
continued imprisonment of some very clever animals. Instead, these animals should
be enjoyed only in their natural habitats, where they are able to swim free and live
happy lives.