Not all captive dolphins can be successfully returned to the wild. This is because habitat dictates behavior: The captive dolphins habitat is so radically altered; it alters their behavior, leaving their natural abilities blurred and distorted.
Does that mean they have to spend the rest of their lives in a barren, concrete tank?
According to the dolphin captivity industry, the answer is yes. Their solution to the problem is to build more, bigger tanks! Furthermore, they continue to breed the dolphins, thereby adding to the long list of non-releasable dolphins.
By doing so, they perpetuate the problem instead of solving it.
We suggest abolishing the tanks and letting the dolphins live out their lives in a more natural environment; a sea pen where they can once again experience the natural rhythm of the sea; the currents, the tides, the sunshine, and the thrill of chasing live fish. Once back in the ocean, the individual dolphin can be properly evaluated for release, and non-releasable dolphins can live out their lives without further exploitation.
The question of what to do with non-releasable dolphins all comes down to this:
Are non-releasable dolphins better off here:
Ó Dolphin Project Inc.
or here:
Ó Helene O'Barry
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