Rebecca Manzi To hydrate dolphins in dolphinariums, a tube is inserted into their stomachs since the frozen fish they eat is devoid of water content: it is time to say enough with this barbarity!
@emptythetanks_mexico/Instagram
The dolphin captivity in sea parks has been an ongoing cause we have been battling for years, joining other mounting criticisms coming from animal rights groups and activists. A recent online video showcases the dramatic truth of what can be called nothing less than imprisonment of such sea creatures.
Shot at the Barceló Maya Grand Resort, the video captures a dolphin being subjected to having a tube placed inside its stomach for hydration—something very common in water parks but very injurious. Dolphins, unlike animals on land, do not drink water; they get their hydration from the fresh fish they feed on in the wild.
However, in aquatic parks, the fish supplied is frozen and thawed that loses a lot of its water content. In order not to dehydrate handlers must artificially have to give a fluid intravenously, intramuscularly or via a gastric tube. This process may appear harmless but reflects a deeper concern. These animals are not attuned to live in artificial settings.
The existence of these places is nothing educational
They swim tens of miles a day in the wild, hunt, play, and form complex societies with developed social structures. Conversely, in marine parks, they swim in small tanks, without necessary stimuli, and frequently under physical and psychological stress. Through scientific research, it has been determined that captivity is likely to cause abnormal behavior like self-mutilation and elevation of cortisol levels, the stress hormone.
Dozens of organizations have long criticized the lives dolphins lead in marine parks, contending that nothing about marine parks is educational or conservation-oriented. Many marine parks will justify their presence by stating that they increase public awareness and assist in scientific investigation.
Most captive dolphins are not reintroduced into the wild, and their use for entertainment continues to rake money for the tourism sector. Dolphin shows and dolphin capturing from the wild for commercial use have been outlawed by some nations in the last few years. Yet the problem remains, particularly in tourist resorts where marine parks remain popular among tourists who are not aware of the deep-seated suffering behind the acts.
So the question is, is it really worth keeping these centers just for the entertainment of humans? Or is it time to reassess entirely our relationship with these incredible animals and develop more humane options, like marine sanctuaries dedicated to their eventual release into the wild, free at last to swim in the seas where they belong?
