To the editor,
RE: SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS – THE TRUTH
We the undersigned would like to see an end to stories that glamorize swimming with dolphins whilst hiding the truth behind the trade in wild caught, and captive dolphins.
Every time you publish a story of a celebrity or a footballer swimming with dolphins you are glamorizing the experience, and indirectly assisting to fuel the vile drive hunts which they are taken from.
When people visit dolphinaria / swim with dolphin experiences they are unknowingly supporting the capture and slaughter of dolphins from many areas of the world including Taiji, home of the brutal drive hunts which have been responsible for the killing over 500,000 dolphins for meat. The most attractive females are taken in captivity and distributed around the world, whilst the rest are killed. The drives are brutal and cruel. Pregnant females abort their young due to stress and many die of heart attacks and drown in the ensuing capture process.
12 bottlenose dolphins from Taiji were imported into Turkey. Dolphinaria are expanding in Spain, France, Dubai, China, Russia and India. With this comes less regulation and more abuse for dolphins.
NGO and individuals are working to end the capture and abuse of dolphins once and for all, but we need positive media exposure to drive down demand, so the business is not profitable. Only then can we stop the abuse.
Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures that live in strong family orientated pods which care and protect their young. These animals do not deserve to be kept in concrete pools for human amusement.
Quick Facts:
· A trained bottlenose dolphin can generate $1 million a year
· Many dolphins die due to the stress of capture and transportation
· Dolphins can die within a few months, or years because they never fully recover from capture, so the whole cycle is repeated
· Dolphins born in captivity have little success either
· Wild dolphins are far ranging animals, so a captive environment cannot replicate the ocean so cause behavioural abnormalities and illness
Please take a positive stand and help us stop the trade in wild dolphins.
Thank you, Paul Smith
