The views expressed
below are completely my own.
On Tuesday June 14, 2016 the National Aquarium announced
that it is planning to move its eight Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from their
current pools to an oceanside sanctuary by the year 2020.
There are going to be plenty of individuals, including
animal rights activists, who will applaud this decision. Praising the relocation effort will
become very popular in the press and social media. However, before we pop open the champagne in celebration, we
need to take a step back and actually consider what this means for the eight amazing
animals who will be directly affected by this decision.
First of all, I want to be clear that I care about the
safety and well being of these eight individuals and all animals both in the
wild and in zoos. I wholeheartedly
believe that humans need to do CONSIDERABLY more to protect species and
ecosystems. However, I have to
admit that I find the National Aquarium’s announcement disturbing for a number
of reasons.
“Sanctuary” sounds
like a nice word but…
Where will the money come from? That’s a major question. In the zoological field, “Sanctuaries” have a stigma of
being locations that are vastly underfunded, and it is the animals who suffer
the consequences.
The article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun on Tuesday stated that “[The Aquarium] did not
announce the sanctuary’s expected cost but said it is seeking philanthropic
investments to fund the project.”
Those investors had better have some deep pockets. This kind of facility will cost
millions to construct. And what
happens if the money isn’t raised?
Will the dolphins be sent to a sub par facility?
Even if they do raise enough money to construct the
sanctuary, they had better be positive that they have enough to maintain it
because….
Some of these animals
will live up to forty more years, or even longer.
The topic of marine mammals in aquariums is huge right now but
what happens in the years 2026 or 2036 or 2046 when the sanctuary is no longer
making headlines and investors have moved on? The sanctuary will still need to guarantee that they have a
constant flow of money that never
dries up or else the quality of care that the dolphins receive will plummet, leading
to sickness and death. Millions of
dollars will have to be pumped into this facility every year, which takes me to
my next point.
These aren’t the only
eight dolphins in the world.
Imagine the countless wild dolphins (and other species) who
would benefit if this money was spent on conservation efforts. It seems that
humanity has gone out of its way to poison ecosystems in every way we can think
of. Therefore, instead of spending
this fortune on a handful of animals who are already living in a safe
environment with clean water and receiving more love and attention than many
children in the city of Baltimore (or across the world), maybe we should spend
these millions to protect the billions of wild animals who are desperately
fighting to survive in a world we are destroying.
So why would investors want to spend their money on a project
that will (supposedly) help just a handful of animals when they could spend it
on projects that could save billions more?
Sorry to Break it to
you but this is a political decision
The Baltimore Sun article states, “In an opinion piece
appearing Tuesday in the Baltimore Sun, Racanelli [The aquarium’s CEO] said the
decision is in the best interest of the dolphins….”
Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more evident that
animal care is coming second to giving in to some very vocal opinions. This move is only taking place to
appease a public that have formed uninformed views on dolphin care because….
Apparently Everyone
is a Marine Mammal Expert Now.
This is a tough point to make because no one likes to be
told that they don’t know as much about a topic as they think they do, but
let’s be honest, watching a 90 minute movie (even if it’s called a documentary)
does not make you an expert.
Most of the people in the public who think that this is a
good move are not working in the animal care field (more on that in a moment).
Armchair activism, “liking” gifs on Facebook, and sharing one-sided
articles, is becoming increasingly popular because it is so easy. I wholeheartedly agree that everyone
deserves an opinion but it seems that the individuals with the most vocal
opinions on issues like dolphins in aquariums are not doing the research required
to form well rounded opinions.
Instead they are getting their information from misleading activists and
movies and don’t forget….
You can’t believe everything you see in the
movies.
The Baltimore Sun article makes reference to films like Free Willy, Blackfish and The Cove as being works that are
changing public opinion on aquariums.
Well, Free Willy
is a work of fiction and led to the death of the whale, Keiko, who played the
title character. After Free Willy was released the outcry
against Keiko’s captivity was so great that millions of dollars were spent to
relocate and rehabilitate him. He
was released and found dead months later.
Animal activists still consider this a big win even though the animal
they were fighting for died.
I don’t know why The
Cove was mentioned in the article because dolphins being slaughtered in
Japan has nothing to do with an aquarium in Maryland. American facilities do not collect dolphins from the ocean
(that was made illegal in 1972), and the National Aquarium has made it clear that
they do not condone these types of drive fisheries. For those who still think aquariums in the USA receive
animals from these drives, the type of dolphin featured in The Cove is a different species than the ones at the National
Aquarium.
As for the infamous Blackfish,
this “documentary” is the rallying cry for many who believe in “emptying the
tanks.” However it has again and
again been criticized for using out of date information regarding mammal
training, presenting information and interviews out of context, and providing
supposed “facts” that are simply not true. This movie is not a work of journalism, it’s an opinion
piece.
However, this movie gave the public the impression that they
know what’s best for these incredible, complex animals, but it gave a
completely skewed point of view. Now eight intelligent animals are being put in
danger because many very vocal activists believe a movie that is essentially a
work of fiction.
So who does know what’s best for the dolphins?
Here’s a crazy
thought, maybe we should talk to the individuals who train dolphins about what they
think should happen.
No one loves these animals more than the people who work
with them every day.
Yes, I know the public loves them and so do the activists, but
it’s the trainers who work with these incredible animals every day. They are the ones who experience how
intelligent they are, feed them, play with them, have conversations with them
(yes it happens) and provide them with amazing medical care. It’s the individuals who work with
dolphins on a daily basis who love them the most and want what’s actually best
for them.
Don’t believe me?
Have you ever looked at a dolphin trainer’s paycheck? They’re not doing it for the money. No one would spend years giving up
their weekends and holidays to scrub buckets (for free) if they didn’t truly
love these animals.
The Baltimore Sun article interviews a lot of “experts” in
the field as well as the CEO, but you know whose voice does not appear? Any of the people who spend countless
hours every year (coming in on Thanksgiving and Christmas) caring for the dolphins. That’s just shoddy journalism.
The individuals who
know the dolphins the best aren’t the ones making decisions.
As I touched on before, this move is being made for
political reasons. No one who is
personally invested in the dolphin’s well being is having a direct hand in
this.
I’ve already mentioned the problem of money before and
unfortunately it could lead to some well intentioned but ignorant investors
actually harming the dolphins.
What happens when a philanthropist says, “Okay, I’ll write you this fat
check BUT you have to meet these demands?” It’s the same thing that happens in politics all the
time. The sanctuary will be
controlled by whoever has the money.
But I’ve gotten ahead of myself because at this point the
dolphins haven’t even gotten to the sanctuary yet and….
The Transportation
Will be Traumatic
The Baltimore Sun article makes several references to
dolphins being intelligent, emotionally complex animals (which they are). So imagine what it would be like to be
an intelligent, emotionally complex animal who has spent her or his whole life
in a particular environment (Six out of the eight were born at the
aquarium. The other two came from
different aquariums.). Suddenly
you are pulled out of that environment, placed in a cramped container and
forced to travel thousands of miles.
As intelligent as dolphins are, no one can explain to them,
“It’s okay, you’re going to a new home where you will be ‘free.’” It will simply be the most terrifying
experience of their lives and it will take place without any rhyme or reason in
the animal’s eyes. All they will
know is that they were in an environment they were used to with their social
groups and now they’re not.
Speaking of Social
Groups…
There are three sections of the Baltimore Sun article that
reference the dolphin’s strong social dynamic, and these really are very social
creatures.
However, the article does not mention that because of this
move many of the animals that have known each other their entire lives may
never see one another again. There
is an extremely good chance that not all of the eight dolphins will be
considered appropriate candidates for the sanctuary (something that is glossed
over in the article). So that
means that the social groups the article praises will most likely be broken
up. Mothers and children, siblings
and best friends may not see each other ever again because the aquarium is
giving in to political fury.
And What Happens When
they get there?
The Baltimore Sun article states that the “ideal site” will
contain “stimuli such as marine plants and fish.”
Keep in mind that all but one of these eight dolphins have never
lived in the ocean. They aren’t
used to marine plants and many have never seen a live fish before. How do you think an intelligent animal
will respond when she or he is suddenly surrounded by creatures and objects
they have never encountered before?
She or he won’t understand that they’re “free.” They will panic and be overwhelmed by
stress. Imagine how you would
react if you were taken from your home and placed in an environment you know
nothing about surrounded by moving things that, as far as you know, could be
dangerous.
And then there’s the very real risk that the dolphins will
ingest the mangrove roots and sea grapes and other “natural stimuli” that are
presented in such a positive light by the articles. This could lead to serious illness. These animals,
intelligent as they are, have never experienced tides, thunderstorms,
temperature fluctuations, jellyfish, barriers that they may not be able to see,
other animals sharing their space, and the list just goes on and on.
If this plan goes
through the Dolphins will be “Free” to Swim in Garbage
Also let’s not forget that the water they will be swimming
in will be (according to the current description) coming directly from the
ocean, which means that it will be full of litter and pollutants. That’s right, all of this money and
effort is being spent so these eight dolphins who are used to a secure, clean
environment will get to swim in filthy water.
And Then The
Hurricane Arrives….
The potential sights listed in the Baltimore Sun article are
Florida and the Caribbean, which have giant bullseyes on them for
hurricanes. Now I know that
millions of dolphins all over the world have to survive hurricanes every year
but the aquarium’s eight dolphins have never experienced harsh weather in the
open water. There is no way we
would be able to prepare them that for that kind of trauma. And I’m sure that even for dolphins who
live in the wild, the experience can be extremely stressful and
terrifying. And hurricanes are
only the tip of the iceberg. What
about red tides? Morbillivirus?
Noise pollution? Climate change?
These dolphins are doing
good exactly where they are.
The Baltimore Sun article quotes a veterinarian for PETA,
Heather Rally, as saying, “Taking an animal out of its natural habitat and
putting in an unnatural enclosure where it’s unhealthy and unhappy and putting
it on display for children is sending a negative message for children.”
I just want to point out that seven of these eight dolphins
in this colony were born in aquariums.
They were not “taken” from anywhere. The eighth was has been in an aquarium setting for over four
decades. The oceans have changed
drastically since then.
As for the “Will someone please think of the children”
aspect of this quote, this is the only chance that many kids who come to the
aquarium will get to see dolphins up close. When kids (or people in general) encounter large animals in
zoos or aquariums the animals become more real. The guests care more about the species and animals in
general. The aquarium draws 1.3
million visitors a years. That’s
1.3 million individuals who meet these amazing animals and realize that they
are more than just cute plush toys or images on T-shirts. And that is vital if
we want future generations to respect the animals we share our planet
with.
Unfortunately this is
a hard message to get across.
The difficulty with the point I am trying to make is that it
is a very complex argument. It’s
hard to compress into media sound bites or protest signs. Many activists automatically assume
that anyone who doesn’t agree with them hates animals and the environment.
On the other hand, the simple concept of “emptying the
tanks” and releasing the dolphins into a strange environment has, unfortunately,
become very popular both in social and traditional media. At the end of the day, these activists
may truly love dolphins (you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t), however
they haven’t thought through the consequences of dumping animals into an alien
ecosystem. If that happened to
people, most of us would die. Do
you think dolphins would be any different?
Many people around the world want what’s best for these
animals, but we can’t give in to misinformation and propaganda. We need to rely on experts who actually
know these animals and work with them every day. Otherwise these eight incredible dolphins may find their
social groups split, and those who are sent to the sanctuary will be facing an
uncertain, most likely very stressful, future.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend this money on conservation
efforts to help the species as a whole?
We all love dolphins, but those of us who want to affect their future
need to be certain that they are educated with facts (not just propaganda) and
think through what is best for these animals, not giving in to political
trends.
