Dolphins May Be Leaving Popular U.S. Aquarium

[Judi Lynn]

Dolphins May Be Leaving Popular U.S. Aquarium
15 May 2014 1:15 pm

The National Aquarium is considering moving its eight Atlantic bottlenose dolphins to a marine sanctuary, The Baltimore Sun reports. The popular tourist site, located in Baltimore, Maryland, says that it is responding to concerns that keeping such cognitively advanced animals in captivity is inhumane. Scientists have recently sparred over whether dolphins, whales, and other cetaceans belong in aquariums, with some claiming that the confined spaces cause stress, depression, and disease, and other stating that removing these animals would kill important research. The public itself may be souring on such displays, spurred, in part, by the 2013 documentary, Blackfish, which explored the ethics of keeping killer whales in captivity. The National Aquarium has hired a team of consultants to advise on the fate of its dolphins and to help it reimagine the aquarium experience. “We know so much more today about the animals and about our evolving audience,” aquarium CEO John Racanelli told The Sun. “We have to evolve.”

http://news.sciencemag.org/plants-animals/2014/05/dolphins-may-be-leaving-popular-u.s.-aquarium

[dhill926]

1. good….

[Auntie Bush]

2. GOOD!

It must be horrible for a whale to swim in circles all day. Having all those animals in captivity just to amuse us is disgusting. Let them all go. The same goes for circus animals. Free them all and let them have some sort of normal life. That would also cut down on trafficking animals.