Shocking moment dolphin desperate to escape captivity leaps out of its own tank during marine show

[kpete]

Shocking moment dolphin desperate to escape captivity leaps out of its own tank during marine show

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:49 PM on 9th July 2010



This startling footage shows the dramatic moment a dolphin suddenly leapt out of its tank in a desperate bid to escape captivity.

The dolphin, a species known as the false killer whale, had been taking part in a marine show at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in southwestern Japan when it jumped on to the floor near its tank.

...............

Mr O'Barry said: 'The habitat of that false killer whale is so unnatural it leapt out in desperation.

'It wanted to end it. Why does a person jump out of a building?'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1293379/Shocking-moment-dolphin-leaps-tank-marine-show.html#ixzz0tLJhyRy1

[BrklynLiberal]

1. omigawd.............

:cry:

How tragic.

Will the human race ever overcome the belief that everything else on this planet is here merely to provide humans with something??

[Mimosa]

2. These kind of stories break my heart

I have NEVER watched animal exploitation shows.

[elehhhhna]

3. what mindreader decided it was a suicide attempt?

just sayin. DU word o' the day; anthropomorphic

not defending the imprisonment of large sea mammals -- that's indefensable.

[Hydra]

5. Dolphins are smarter than we are, frankly

And I'm sure s/he knew they were risking broken bones or a split skull diving out.

At that point, what do you chalk it up to?

[elehhhhna]

6. you are sure that dolphins can form the intent to commit suicide?

[Hydra]

12. I'm not sure of anything

But the dolphins I encountered were self aware and understood abstract- so in my mind, why couldn't they, if they are suffering?

[azul]

29. Hopelessness training. It was done to dogs

to get a model for depression with which to test new drugs. Astonishing that people could be so ignorant and cruel, with seemingly the best of intentions.

It is something inhuman that was done by humans to our best friends and companions and dependents. If dogs are intelligent enough to stop wanting to live, in horrible circumstances, I don't see why not dolphins too.

[roguevalley]

30. they can form a notion to save people from drowning. there are

zillions of documented cases. not a giant leap to this conclusion.

[undeterred]

7. What kind of experience does a dolphin have

that would make them know about breaking bones?

And they're smart, but not smarter than humans.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. The are exactly this smart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArsoMcVi5MM

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. Thank you for the links- Beautiful and amazing animals.

The "fishermen" are bottlenose dolphins -

From Wikipedia:
Cognitive abilities investigated include concept formation, sensory skills, and mental representations, including:

acoustic and behavioral mimicry
comprehension of novel sequences in an artificial language]
memory
monitoring of self behavior
discrimination and matching
comprehension of symbols for various body parts
comprehension of pointing gestures and gaze (as made by dolphins or humans)
mirror self-recognition
numerical values


At least some wild bottlenose dolphins use tools.
In Shark Bay dolphins place a marine sponge on their rostrum, presumably to protect it when searching for food on the sandy sea bottom...This (behavior) is exhibited almost exclusively by females.... A 2005 study showed that mothers most likely teach the behavior to their daughters, evincing culture (behavior learned from other species members)... Intraspecial cooperative foraging has also been observed. These behaviors may also be transmitted via teaching.

Near Adelaide, in South Australia, three bottlenose dolphins 'tail-walk'
whereby they elevate the upper part of their bodies vertically out of the water, and propel themselves along the surface with powerful tail movements. Tail-walking mostly arises via human training in dolphinaria. In the 1980s, a female from the local population was kept at a local dolphinarium for three weeks, and the scientist suggests, she copied the tail-walking behavior from other dolphins. Two other wild adult female dolphins have now copied it from her

[elehhhhna]

17. duh. Mister Limpet was a medic in the Navy.

i crack myself UP

[HysteryDiagnosis]

21. I always wanted him to say.... "NOW WAIT A MINUTE ANDY".... n/t

[WinkyDink]

8. Um, no, not smarter than homo sapiens sapiens, frankly.

[Hydra]

13. And your evidence is what?

I've met dolphins in the wild. They're smarter than most of us. They communicate, they think abstractly, and they're creative.

That beats more than half our species.

[Rex]

4. Maybe he didn't want to be there anymore.

They started buying cheap fish.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. It didn't want to end his life, if that is what it implies.

Anyone who transfers fish into a new tank understands what is at play. Fish will jump out thinking there are bigger ponds that they can flop to. I've seen guppies jump from one edge of the pond over a small separator to look for mosquito larvae to eat, and then jump back to the bigger pond. They don't expect to die. Sometimes you can find them outside the tank, dirty and looking pretty dead. You just throw them back into the big tank and they never jump out again.

[elehhhhna]

18. "they never jump out again...especially if they're dead when we throw 'em back in."

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. Well, that too.

I tend to throw them back in even if they're dead to let the others know that it's a hopeless cause.

[CLANG]

22. We're not talking about fish, but highly intelligent mammals.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. I assume they're more intelligent than we are...

...which is why I can't see them intentionally committing suicide. Escape, yes. But not suicide.

[CLANG]

25. Suicide isn't always a logical decision, but an emotional one.

But I take your point.

[skygazer]

14. Poor things

To me, the most heartbreaking photo is the one of all the other animals looking at it through the glass. :(

[Raschel]

19. Ohhhhhh. What a poignant scene.

[lonestarnot]

15. Sonofabitch dominionists.

[sce56]

16. I've been to that aquarium they have an even bigger fish there

Whale sharks rule at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

By: By Bill Charles

Date Posted: 2010-05-30
Nearly 10,000 visitors flock to the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium each day, most hoping to catch a glimpse of giant whale sharks feeding. The public has its opportunities to watch the whale sharks daily, with feeding times at 3pm and 5pm. Churaumi, Asia’s largest aquarium—and fourth largest in the world—is an aquatics leader in keeping the giant whale sharks, which grow to lengths of more than 14 meters (46 feet). The excitement of viewing whale sharks—and giant mantas, too—in the Kuroshio Sea tank - Kuroshio means Black Current - has become even more of a thrill with the inclusion of a new female whale shark.

In-tank breeding of whale sharks under captive conditions is the direction Churaumi is now moving. Initially, the aquarium kept three male whale sharks, and the new swimmer in the pool is a female whale shark that replaced one of the males for in-tank breeding. The female whale shark was captured in a stationary fishing net off the shoreline of Yomitan Village, then cared for in a keeping net offshore of Yamagawa Port in Motobu. She was 5.2 meters (17 feet) long when captured. Whale sharks are presumed to be sexually mature when they are 9-10 meters (30-32 feet) long. The female whale shark now swimming in the Kuroshio Sea tank has grown to 5.7 meters (19 feet) and weighs 1.3 tons (2,916 pounds).

Churaumi officials say they envision the whale shark breeding project will take a very long time. The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, located in Motobu on the northwest Okinawa coast, is part of the Ocean Expo Park. The state-of-the-art facility opened in 2002, replacing the older, smaller Expo aquarium, and has been the first in the world to be successful in breeding mantas in an artificial environment.

A day at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium provides visitors a firsthand exposure to the underwater ecosystems that exist around the Ryukyu Islands. The aquarium’s giant Kuroshio Sea tank holds 7,500 cubic meters of water, and is home to 16,000 fish. Visitors watch the whale sharks, the largest inhabitants, and graceful manta rays as they glide through the waters, through the world’s second largest acrylic panel. The 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters panel, 60 centimeters thick, provides a panoramic view of underwater nature.

[Maru Kitteh]

31. Dolphins are not fish.

They are mammals, same as you and I.

[sce56]

32. Did I say Dolphin were Fish? I'm well aware they are mamals!

But the whale shark is a fish and bigger than a Dolphin!
And I do indeed love to see the Dolphins in there environment look here to see a video I made of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVnXXu2_n9U

[Brickbat]

20. Glad to hear the dolphin is doing fine after its little adventure.

I do hope its smart brain learned something about what's on the other side of the wall.

[flvegan]

26. Captured in the wild 6 years ago.

Horrible people do this.

[Ramulux]

27. Fuck aquariums

those places are evil. After watching the Cove, I have so little tolerance for horrible human beings who think its perfectly reasonable to enslave the most intelligent animals on earth and treat them like a fucking circus act.

[northernlights]

28. while I agree dolphins are more intelligent than we are, and sensitive

and compassionate and caring, the fact is we don't know that the dolphin was attempting suicide or even escape. It had no experience whatsoever of what was over the wall, so no way knowing what would happen.

Even the most gifted athletes occasionally make mistakes and get hurt. The dolphin may have simply gotten too rambunctious or ambitious in its leaping and overshot. Frankly, it may have just been curious. Seriously, we just don't know what was going on in its mind.

That said, I also agree that capturing wild animals and forcing them to perform is cruel. And yes, it is so sad to see the other dolphins watching through the glass wall.

Mostly I'm glad the dolphin is ok. :)