![\"Dolphins](\"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Delfine-in-Gefangenschaft.jpg\")
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Dolphins are popular in zoos and aquariums as well as for swimming with dolphins for tourists and for therapeutic reasons. Nevertheless, the issue of domesticated dolphins is controversial. Everyone likes the cute, friendly animals, but is it animal-friendly to support keeping them in captivity?<\/p>\n
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The capture of wild dolphins from the sea is now largely restricted, as the stress of capture has cost more than half of the dolphins their lives within three months of capture. Instead, dolphins are bred in captivity. Better, many think, because then they are spared the trauma of capture and grow up within the confines of their world. If they only know a domesticated life, they must feel comfortable, right?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately not. In order to breed healthy dolphins, as with any other species, inbreeding must be avoided. This is why dolphins are often \"loaned\" from one zoo to another. To do this, they often have to be transported long distances. Although there are now more or less humane methods of transporting dolphins comfortably, the transport and the changeover remain a traumatic experience.<\/p>\n
Dolphins adapt quickly to a new environment. They are playful, curious and like to make friends with their keepers. They live a long life in captivity because they have no natural enemies in the sea. Wild dolphins can live up to 45 years. Dolphins captured from their natural habitat often do not live more than five years once they have survived the first three months after the trauma. Dolphins that have been bred in captivity have a longer life expectancy, but by no means longer than the average of dolphins in the wild.<\/p>\n
A strong argument for dolphins in captivity is often that humans have learned and will continue to learn a lot about dolphin echolocation, thermo-regulation, social behaviour and senses. Dolphins are also much more appreciated by the general public when they can be seen in dolphin shows. This certainly helps to ensure the survival of the species, but ultimately it was humans who endangered the dolphin in the first place. In the wild, the mortality rate of dolphins is high due to water pollution, boating accidents, fishing and disease. To argue that the dolphin should live in captivity to ensure its survival sounds more like a pathetic attempt to justify inhumane treatment of a species.
It is also a fact that most of the dolphins used for show belong to the bottlenose dolphin species, a species that is by no means endangered. Programmes to release dolphins back into the wild are usually initiated by animal welfare organisations, with little, if any, support from zoos or aquariums.<\/p>\n
Not to mention that the living conditions of a dolphin in captivity are anything but ideal. Sure, the water is not as polluted as in some parts of the ocean because it is chemically treated. These chemicals often cause poisoning and disease.
In the wild, a dolphin swims up to 150 kilometres a day. In the dolphin tank, it swims in circles within its limits. The dolphins' restricted movement often results in stereotypical behaviour. Out of boredom, they drift slowly around in circles with their eyes half-closed in the same repetitive pattern and bang their heads against the walls.<\/p>\n
The breeding of dolphins is also by no means as secure as is assumed. Even with high mortality rates of dolphins under one year of age in the wild due to pollution and natural predators, the survival rate of dolphins born in captivity is alarmingly low. If farmed dolphins were so much safer and more protected than in the wild, the mortality rate of newborns should be much lower in comparison, but this is not the case.<\/p>\n
A large part of their life consists of hunting for their food. In captivity, they are fed dead fish, which deprives them of mental stimulation and exercise.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Whether born in the wild or in captivity, a dolphin is a wild animal and has the needs of a wild animal. The fact that captive dolphins do not live significantly longer than their free-living counterparts, despite the absence of natural dangers, indicates that the animals suffer from the stress of their restricted habitat.<\/p>\n
Natural behaviours that are passed on from the mother dolphin to her babies, known as dolphin culture, are suppressed in captivity. Through these behaviours, the dolphins learn to live with the dangers of their environment and to survive. This also reduces the chances of survival if the dolphins are lucky enough to be released back into the wild.
Dolphins are very sociable, like to dive deep and swim great distances. Even in the largest dolphin tanks, the animals are limited to a thousandth of their natural size.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dolphins are popular in zoos and aquariums as well as for swimming with dolphins for tourists and for therapeutic reasons. Nevertheless, the issue of domesticated dolphins is controversial. Everyone likes the cute, friendly animals, but is it animal-friendly to support keeping them in captivity?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_id":["4423"],"_fgj2wp_old_id":["3313"],"rank_math_analytic_object_id":["946"],"rank_math_focus_keyword":["delfine in gefangenschaft, sollte man delfinschaus unterst\u00fctzen?"],"rank_math_internal_links_processed":["1"],"_trp_automatically_translated_slug_en_GB":["dolphins-in-captivity-should-be-supported-by-dolphin-shows"]},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tiere","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neuropool.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}