Dolphins do not belong in captivity. No marine animal does, in fact. However, there is a misconception that dolphins are “happy” in captivity because they always appear to be smiling. But they actually suffer tremendously in captivity. In the wild, dolphins can swim in the hundreds of miles of ocean available to them, whereas in captivity they are confined to small tanks. They also have very strong social and family bonds with their natural pods in the wild, not with manmade “pods.” Worst of all, they develop zoochosis and display abnormal repetitive behaviors in captivity like the depressed dolphin who repeatedly slams his head against the wall in an aquarium.
Another devastating story is that of Honey. Two years ago, her story came into the spotlight when The Dolphin Project was fighting to save her from the terrible situation she was in. “46 penguins and hundreds of fish and reptiles have been abandoned at the Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium in Choshi, Japan,” and Honey was left all alone in a tank.
Unfortunately, Honey was not able to be saved and her death was confirmed on April 4, 2020. She was one of the many dolphins captured each year at the Taiji cove. She was stolen from her natural habitat in 2005 only to be forced to live a lonely, miserable life. Her life and death is further proof that the capture of dolphins needs to end!
With 🐾
Charlie
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