SAY “NO” TO DOLPHIN CAPTIVITY AT BAYWORLD OCEANARIUM IN NELSON MANDELA BAY, SOUTH AFRICA
Algoa Bay in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape has recently been named the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World, as the estimated population of the bay is close to 30, 000 dolphins. This number surpasses other areas around the world.
A dolphin festival will be held in the city each year to celebrate the international popularity of the species. The attraction for tourists is that there are so many free dolphins in the bay, and apart from being cruel to the dolphins, captivity of dolphins would tarnish this reputation.
In addition the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) is planning to have the next Whale Heritage Congress in SA in 2017. The World Cetacean Alliance is the world’s largest Partnership working to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans). The WCA is committed to preventing all cetaceans from being held in captivity except for rehabilitation and release purposes. They are also developing and implementing new concepts for responsible whale and dolphin watching with the potential to inspire and educate millions of people.
There is an increasing number of countries which have banned dolphin captivity because of overwhelming evidence that cetacean captivity, no matter how it is handled, in fact constitute abuse as captivity can never replicate the conditions they need in order to thrive. The many countries that have banned the keeping of dolphins in captivity include Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland, Chile, Costa Rica, and in 2013, India, the world’s largest democracy, passed legislation prohibiting the development of dolphinaria, referring to dolphins as “non-human persons”. Greece banned animal performances in 2012.
As concerned individuals we believe that cetacean captivity a cruel and unnecessary practice, and that South Africa should follow the example of other countries which have either stopped this practice or are phasing it out. In the light of current knowledge and the growing global condemnation of cetacean captivity it would be a set-back should South Africa renew dolphin shows at Bayworld in Nelson Mandela Bay.
We therefore urge the authorities to set an example and ban any future dolphin captivity at Bayworld and ask that Bayworld rather becomes an example of conservation and respect for cetaceans and other marine animals.
With some planning it is possible to turn this centre into an educational rehabilitation and release centre that can take care of injured and stranded animals, releasing them as soon as possible, while upholding an ethos of respect for the different species instead of making them perform as clowns for human entertainment. Being so close to the ocean means that ties can be forged with local whale and dolphin watching expeditions to provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and tourists alike, providing education as well as many jobs and training opportunities in the process. Tying in with schools for environmental education will further spread awareness and foster stewardship instead of exploitation. And exchange programs with similar global initiatives can provide numerous benefits.
Bayworld has been receiving extremely bad press due to the state of neglect of both the facility as well as the animals which are held there – this is an opportunity to completely reverse this negative image, and to instead become an example of conservation instead of exploitation.
We owe this to the future of our children, our planet, and all of our local wildlife species.
(Photograph : Dolphins in Algoa Bay Port Elizabeth - Photo by Raggy Charters http://www.raggycharters.co.za/)
