"Bama Bayou" is a proposed $300 million dollar project that will transform the small town of Orange Beach, Alabama into the next big summer destination. The development will include a convention center, several hotels, a water park and, shockingly, a marine mammal entertainment facility.
Don't let the definition fool you. This facility won't be some place lucky dolphins get to go to have a great time. No, just like SeaWorld and other marine animal parks, this new facility will be anything but fun for the dolphins and other animals that will be forced to call it home.
We must tell Orange Beach officials not to approve this dolphin prison.
If approved, they will build tanks, pools and holding facilities where the dolphins will live their entire lives. These animals deserve to be in the wild, not held in captivity and forced to perform for paying customers.
Dolphins in captivity display a host of problems, including skin and eye issues, self-harm, stereotypic behavior, and a shortened lifespan. Dolphins that live in the wild can live up to 50 years, however in captivity, if they live to 25 years they would be considered lucky. In essence, when marine parks decide to imprison dolphins and other marine animals they are not only giving them a life sentence, they are actually shortening their lives.
Orange Beach, now must make a decision. Do they want to be the city known for approving a park where dozens of dolphins are sure to suffer? Or are they going to do what's right and tell the "Bama Bayou" developers to scrap the marine animal park? We can't rely on just hope alone, opponents of marine mammal captivity must act to make sure that this the Bama Bayou project is dolphin free.
Please sign the petition and tell the Orange Beach City Council that the bayou would be better without dolphin cruelty. Tell them not to approve the marine animal park.
