How do whales and dolphins respond to captivity

by Lisa Cardy

�

�

When were whales and dolphins first caught and kept

The first attempt was made in 1860. Two beluga whales were caught and shipped to new York, where they died within days.

�

How are whales and dolphins captured

The methods vary according to the habits of the animal, but generally whales and dolphins are tracked and surrounded by boats and herded into nets.

�

How does captivity compare with life in the wild for whales and dolphins

They face a sudden change from living in a free-ranging habitat with visual and auditory sensory stimuli to relatively cramped, two dimensional pools.

�

In the wild whales and dolphins can dive up to several hundred meters and stay underwater for up to half an hour, spending little time at the surface. In comparison, in the shallow pools of zoos and parks they're forced to spend most of their time at the surface and some animals develop skin problems as a result.

�

For killer whales, the time spent at the surface and concomitant reduction in body support, possibly causes the dorsal fin to collapse. All captive male killer whales and many female ones suffer from dorsal fin collapse. However, they are observed in only about 1% of killer whales in the wild.

�

Additionally captive whales and dolphins have to eat dead fish, rather than hunt for live ones. Force-feeding through a stomach tube is sometimes necessary to keep an animal alive until it learns to accept its new artificial diet.

�

Capture and captivity breaks up the natural, sometimes lifelong, family groups, called pods, common among whales and dolphins.

�

What laws govern whale and dolphin captivity

Regulations concerning the capture and holding of whales and dolphins vary widely from country to country. The UK standards are the strictest worldwide. They include clauses like keeping marine mammals in similar social structures that they are used to in the wild and that no single specimens of species can be kept.

�

Is captivity cruel

This is an emotive question and hard to answer objectively, but the facts are striking. A dolphin can live up to 50 years in the wild; in captivity half die within a few months. In the wild whales and dolphins can produce up to�six off spring, whereas in captivity the number is usually one. Captive animals can sometimes display aggression, something, as yet, not see in wild populations.