Are dolphin encounters humane?

[perditax]

I promise this isn't a troll thread--I just haven't seen this topic come up in my time here. If you check my posting history you'll see I'm not into starting controversial threads as a hobby.

 

I'm new to cruising, which means I'm ending up in the typical Caribbean ports. It seems like they ALL have multiple dolphin encounters now. This has always seemed a little weird to me (I remember when they started popping up in Florida), and when I google it there is very little to find that is in favor of these encounters. Most of the resulting links/articles, I can't bring myself to click. Example:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candace-calloway-whiting/adfasdf_b_4851026.html

 

(Really, I can't make myself read that beyond the headline.)

 

I am not a PETA member/animal rights activist. I do eat meat, so my hands are not clean. I just feel weird when it comes to certain kinds of very intelligent animals in captivity, and google is doing little to make me feel any better about the way the dolphins are treated in these places.

 

Is this just one of those things where people do the 'la la la', it makes my kids happy so whatever, fingers-in-ears thing about it and move on?

Edited August 7, 2015 by perditax

[Aquahound]

Personally...and this is just my opinion...I do not support dolphin encounters. I know that several stateside facilities are rescues that cannot be released, but several of the foreign facilities are not rescues. They're stocked by dolphin hunts. You will never see me at a dolphin encounter.

 

And trust me, I'm also faaaar from being the PETA type. ;)

Edited August 7, 2015 by Aquahound

[perditax]

Personally...and this is just my opinion...I do not support dolphin encounters. I know that several stateside facilities are rescues that cannot be released, but several of the foreign facilities are not rescues. They're stocked by dolphin hunts. You will never see me at a dolphin encounter.

 

And trust me, I'm also faaaar from being the PETA type. ;)

 

Thanks for the response, sounds like we're on the same page. Wasn't too sure what to expect when I posted. :)

 

I guess it's one of those things people don't want to think too hard about. :\

Edited August 7, 2015 by perditax

[Laurie S.]

No, they are not.

[Flatbush Flyer]

If dolphins wanted to play with you, they'd do it on their own.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Grandma Petania]

Another vote against dolphin encounters. Years ago I thought it would be really cool to swim with dolphins, but I never did it. Now I wouldn't even consider it. These dolphins are enslaved, as much as people would be if they were forced to live in an unnaturally confined area and made to interact with other humans in ways that have such a negative impact on their lives.

 

Thank you OP for starting this thread. I have noticed a number of threads discussing the "best" dolphin encounter - "best" being for the benefit of the humans as far as pictures, time spent with dolphins, etc. I have added a link to the truth about the experience for the dolphins, and wonder if anyone has ever read the article and changed their mind.

[my3guys]

IMHO, the best place to encounter a dolphin is in their natural habitat, not in a concrete prison.

[cbr663]

I do think that a lot of people do the "la la la" it makes the kids happy thing and don't think much about it. We are also far from PETA and will not visit any zoos, aquariums, dolphin encounters, stingrays....

 

A couple of years ago we had the most amazing amazing dolphin encounter. We were sailing into San Juan on the Nieuw Amsterdam and it was a beautiful sunny day. As we were entering the harbour, two dolphins gave us a show of swimming along the ship and jumping out of the water. It was magical, it was beautiful and it is how we should be seeing dolphins.

[cb at sea]

I grew up in Va. Beach...my friend had a small sailboat, and off we went one day...coming back to shore, we were surrounded by dolphins....close enough to touch...they were keeping pace with us (and looking at us!) and so close, we had to pull up the keel! Now THAT was an "encounter"!

 

I don't think keeping those intelligent creatures in captivity is nice or healthy, either. I know many aquariums BREED them nowadays, so that's all these creatures know...

Edited August 7, 2015 by cb at sea

[my3guys]

I grew up in Va. Beach...my friend had a small sailboat, and off we went one day...coming back to shore, we were surrounded by dolphins....close enough to touch...they were keeping pace with us (and looking at us!) and so close, we had to pull up the keel! Now THAT was an "encounter"!

 

My husband and I grew up in VB also! He's told me stories of when he would go out surfing, the dolphins would play in the water near him and his surf buddies. We once went parasailing near the 1st street jetty and we looked down and saw a small pod of dolphins jumping through the water below us :)

[navybankerteacher]

Certainly not "humane" - to keep members of an intelligent species captive so they can amuse people by doing un-natural things. But along the sliding scale -- which can range all the way from dog fighting to frustrating free range hens by stealing their eggs every day, not as outrageous as some or as "give me a break" os others.

[OCruisers]

Another for seeing them in their natural environment. Lots are off the SC coast freely swimming around. :)

[hdowney]

I'm going to hold my hands up here and say I have both been to SeaWorld AND done a dolphin encounter. My excuse (as far as it can be termed one!) was I was young and naieve. I can hand on heart say I wish I never had done these things and would never do these things. I am completely on the page of encounters should be in the wild. I am ashamed to have ever done the encounter but I cannot take it back. I did however learn from my mistakes.

[Miller_KC]

I would assume then most of the people replying either don't own dogs or cats, or they don't believe dog and cats are intelligent. I'm not arguing for or against, just wondering how deep the concern for animal freedom should be applied.

[perditax]

I would assume then most of the people replying either don't own dogs or cats, or they don't believe dog and cats are intelligent. I'm not arguing for or against, just wondering how deep the concern for animal freedom should be applied.

 

 

I guess I'd argue that dogs and cats have been domesticated and "partnered" with humans for thousands and thousands of years.

[GUT2407]

If dolphins wanted to play with you, they'd do it on their own.

 

Funny, I've seen them do just That.

[GUT2407]

I grew up in Va. Beach...my friend had a small sailboat, and off we went one day...coming back to shore, we were surrounded by dolphins....close enough to touch...they were keeping pace with us (and looking at us!) and so close, we had to pull up the keel! Now THAT was an "encounter"!

 

I don't think keeping those intelligent creatures in captivity is nice or healthy, either. I know many aquariums BREED them nowadays, so that's all these creatures know...

 

I often wonder if thy laught at us for being a boat or surfboard to do what they do so gracefully.

[YubaSutter]

I wouldn't go to a dolphin encounter in a swimming pool. Growing up, we had our dolphin encounters in the wild off the California coast. Dolphins would come up to us as we sat on our surfboards.