The Truth Behind The "Swim-With-Dolphins" Industry

For upwards of $70 per half hour, "swim-with-dolphins" programs offer tourists and others the opportunity to swim with dolphins in a confined setting. These increasingly popular programs work hard to promote an image of happy dolphins swimming in their shallow blue enclosures and relishing the attention of humans. When one takes the time to examine the facts behind the captivity industry's claims, it quickly becomes apparent that these dolphins are the helpless victims of our consumer culture's demand for entertainment. WSPA has looked at some of the most common statements used by the swim-with industry to support the keeping of dolphins in captivity and has tried to unravel the fact from their fiction.

1. What the swim-with industry will tell you:
They love their dolphins. They will insist that they genuinely care about the animals and use positive reinforcement and relationship building as the primary tools in training.

The Facts:
The fact that these facilities love their dolphins is not the point. No one questions their love for the animals. After all, who doesn't love dolphins? That's why so many people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to participate in these programs. The real issue is whether swim-with programs have the dolphin's best interest at heart. Remember, these are for-profit businesses that thrive by keeping their expenses low and working the dolphins as much as possible. Do you really believe that a dolphin is happier having people ride around on its back and eating dead fish than it would be frolicking freely with other dolphins in its natural environment?

The truth, whether it's called behavior training or positive reinforcement, is that dolphins perform tricks in front of cheering spectators because they are hungry. It's that simple. Whether food is used to positively reward correct behavior such as a successful back flip or withheld to punish incorrect behavior like ignoring a trainer's command, it still amounts to food deprivation. Dolphin trainers know that if a dolphin has a stomach full of fish, it won't perform. Call it what you will - performing dolphins are the victims of selective starvation. Does this seem like a loving way to treat dolphins?

2. What the swim-with industry will tell you:
"For a facility to display marine mammals federal permits are required and standards for the care and maintenance of the animals must be met. Some of these standards include pool size, water quality, fish storage and preparation, and program content. All of our animal housing exceeds government regulations." - Theater of the Sea, Florida

The captive industry in the United States asserts that the standards for the care of dolphins in its interaction programs are the best in the world and that their dolphins are well cared for and loved.

The facts:
Sure, the United States does have some regulations in place concerning dolphin care and one could argue that the U.S. regulations are more stringent than in other countries, but that still doesn't mean that the regulations are appropriate or that they ensure an acceptable quality of life for the dolphins. Of course they take good care of their dolphins: healthy dolphins are cheaper and easier to maintain. But the fact remains that captive dolphins are restricted, manipulated into doing things they wouldn't normally do, and just plain stressed out, often to the point where it kills them. As an example, in nature, dolphins swim up to 40 miles per day. Under US standards - and we'll grant you that some facilities go above and beyond regulations - you only have to give dolphins 30 x 30 feet to swim in. So, we'll be extremely generous and suppose that operators in this country give their captive dolphins 5 times what they're required. Unfortunately, even in this scenario, which isn't reality, a dolphin would still have to circle its pen 700 times to simulate what it would do naturally in the wild. How big would a room have to be for you to spend the rest of your life in it?

3. What the swim-with industry will tell you:
"By housing these animals, we are able to educate the public about them and the conservation issues facing future generations." - Theater of the Sea, Florida

Swim-with-dolphins facilities always stress that their programs are about conservation and education. They promote the idea that direct contact with dolphins is the best way to cement ideas about the need for conservation in an individual's mind. They also argue that their captive dolphins provide them with the opportunity to do valuable research regarding dolphins and their behavior.

The facts:
The only "education" these programs offer is a misleading one. How can you expect to learn anything about the true nature of dolphins when what you're seeing are trained performers that aren't allowed to really be dolphins? Captive dolphins are stripped of their natural behaviors and forced to perform acrobatics and silly antics. They're not allowed to chase fish, they're separated from their families and they don't get to ride the waves. And maybe the worst thing of all is that they can't use their gift of echolocation, because they have no fish to catch, no new places to explore. For a human, that would be like suddenly losing your vision or hearing. If these facilities were truly concerned with protecting the interests of dolphins, would they imprison them in tanks and strip them of their dignity in this way for the sheer amusement of humans?

Now, about conservation. First, there's no concrete evidence to support the claim that these programs actually foster conservation. Humpback whales are appreciated and protected by people who have never even seen a humpback whale. On the other hand, tigers and rhinos are on the brink of extinction, despite the fact that these animals have been displayed in zoos and circuses for years. Taking it a step further, bottlenose dolphins, the very creatures used in these spectacles, aren't even endangered, so how can the conservation argument be valid in this case? Right now, the crisis facing dolphins is not extinction, but the abuse suffered at the hands of humans.

As far as the idea of keeping dolphins in captivity being a benefit for researchers, we ask this question: What's this research for? It would seem that the only point to this research is to teach dolphin captors how to deal with the ever growing inventory of captive dolphins in this country. In light of the fact that dolphins in captivity, whether taken from the wild or born in a tank, are stripped of all of their natural instincts and behaviors, what can possibly be learned about wild dolphins by studying these trained clowns?

4. What the swim-with industry will tell you:
"The dolphins in the program are gentle, patient, and attentive to the needs of the ill or disabled. Their affection and acceptance is critical to a person with disabilities." - Dolphin Human Therapy, Miami, Florida

These dolphins play an important role in therapy. Dolphins are naturally social animals and have an abundance of unconditional love to share with humans. It's amazing to see the effect they have on handicapped, especially autistic, children. They'll say that they cherish their dolphins as healers and that the animals choose to be with the children and want to help them.

The facts:
We can certainly understand a person going to any length possible to help an ill or disabled loved one. But there simply is no scientific evidence to substantiate the claim that spending time in a tank or enclosure with dolphins has healing results for special-needs children.

To the contrary, the only guaranteed result is that the desperate parents of ill or autistic children wind up paying large sums of money for short periods of time in the water with dolphins. Although there may be a momentary increase in the attention level of the child, the effects are fleeting at best. And, in fact, some experts suggest that the inability to provide this kind of stimulus on a consistent basis can actually have a negative effect. However, pet-assisted therapy with dogs, cats and horses is a well-proven technique that enables a child to receive consistent affection and stimulation that can be beneficial in their treatment. Considering the alternatives, why not adopt a pet from a shelter and change two lives for the better?

5. What the swim-with industry will tell you:
"The Flipper dolphins demonstrate the grace and intelligence of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The show includes jumps, spins, tailwalks, and flips, all choreographed to music and accompanied by lively and informative narration." - Miami Seaquarium, Miami, Florida

The captive industry will tell you that their dolphins were born and raised in captivity; that living in tanks and performing tricks for people is all that they have ever known. They will say that the dolphins are spoiled, living in the lap of luxury safe from the dangers of pollution and predators found in the ocean. They'll offer examples of cases involving animal rights activists actually cutting the wires on dolphin pens to release the animals only to have the dolphins swim right back into their pens as soon as it's dinner time. They'll use this as the "evidence" to show that not only do these dolphins want to live in captivity but also that they couldn't survive on their own. A common statement made by the swim-with industry is along the lines of: "We let our dolphins out to swim with wild dolphins and they never try to escape. They always come back."

The facts:
Record keeping in the captive dolphin industry is unreliable at best. Many times, it's impossible to determine exactly how a dolphin was acquired. Some parks aren't even sure of their dolphins' true origins. Hundreds of dolphins in captivity were wild before they were hunted down and taken for the captivity industry.

WSPA is not saying we can release all captive dolphins, though some certainly could be good candidates. What we are saying is that all dolphins deserve to live as naturally as possible without the stress of having to perform tricks in order to eat. WSPA's goal is to give these dolphins a better quality of life. For many dolphins, that will mean rehabilitation and eventual release back into the freedom of the ocean. For others who are not suited for release, it will mean living out the remainder of their lives in natural sea pens, where they are free to engage in natural behaviors, interact with other dolphins, and escape the burden of having to perform.

Of course dolphins face certain dangers living in the ocean, but should the mere possibility of danger be enough to take away a dolphin's freedom and keep them in captivity? After all, humans face dangers every day just by getting in their car and driving to work. Does this mean that we should all just stay home and bury our heads under the covers? Think of everything you would miss out on if you hid inside the "safety" of your home for the rest of your life. WSPA believes that dolphins deserve to live in accordance with their true natures, which just can't be achieved in captivity; despite our best intentions and no matter how hard we try.

The anecdotal stories related by the swim-with industry concerning dolphins returning to their pens instead of swimming off to freedom do not paint an accurate picture of the dolphin's situation. These dolphins have been raised by humans or taken from the wild, placed in captivity and taught by humans to behave in certain ways. They are programmed and conditioned to respond to commands and they learn to follow the daily routines that have been laid out for them. In addition, they are fed dead fish, often losing the ability to hunt and catch live fish for themselves. Given these circumstances, it is not surprising that many dolphins will return to their pens at dinnertime! Their free will has been subdued and they are unsure of their ability to survive on their own.

6. What the swim-with industry will tell you:

Their dolphins are not forced to interact with people. Facilities in the United States are required to provide designated rest areas where the dolphins can go to avoid human contact when they are tired or want to be alone. If the dolphins are interacting with people, it's because they want to.

The Facts:
Even though swim-with facilities might offer access to "time out" areas where dolphins can seek refuge from the groping hands of humans, a National Marine Fisheries Service study reported that barriers do exist to keep dolphins from using these sites. Dolphins may find that the areas are too small to be used comfortably. Or, trainers may rotate the rest section so often that the animals become confused as to where to go for a break. Another obstacle is restrictive entryways, where dolphins find it difficuly to gain access to these areas. Clearly, these "off-limits" areas may not provide adequate sanctuary. In some cases, dolphins are actually forced to leave these "time out" areas to interact with the paying customers.