Tag Archives: dolphins in captivity

Dec

2017

Swimming With Dolphins: Here Are Some Pros And Cons To Note

Swimming with dolphins sounds like fun but you’ll need to consider the pros and cons before embarking on such an adventure.

Swimming With Dolphins

Imagine the summer holidays are here, and you are on your way down to the south coast, the Caribbean, for a long-awaited vacation. Or it’s winter where you are and you want to escape to a warmer climate for a while.

The sandy beaches, warm weather, and the rare experience of swimming with dolphins.

Just take a look at the daily adverts or Google suggestions, you would find ubiquitous adverts welcoming you to the great resorts and exotic dolphinariums for a great SWTD (Swim-with-the-dolphins) experience. A fishy kiss or a dolphin ride (the dorsal tow) from these social and

Dec

2017

Owning A Dolphin: Is That Even Possible In The USA?

Do you dream of owning a dolphin in the USA? Then you’ll need to read this.

A Dolphin With A Boy: Owning a dolphin

Have you ever wondered if you could own and keep your very own dolphin right there in your backyard? Or have you been dreaming of the possibility of creating your own miniature marine park as part of your home or business premises.

Imagine having a playful bottlenose dolphin in a nice pool on your grounds. That would delight your kids and visitors and stand you out as being really cool wouldn’t it?

But what are the legalities involved in owning a dolphin in the USA? Is it even legal to keep such

Nov

2017

Species Profile: The South Asian River Dolphin

The South Asian River Dolphin is the group term for 2 subspecies of endangered and ‘blind’ dolphins in parts of Asia.

Ganges Subspecies Of The South Asian River Dolphin (Photo: NOAA, Public Domain)

The South Asian River Dolphin refers to two variants of dolphins; the Ganges River dolphin and the Indus River dolphin.

Both dolphins are freshwater, or river, cetaceans typically found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan and split into two subspecies. As their names imply, the Ganges river dolphin is

Nov

2017

Species Profile: The Pygmy Killer Whale

The Pygmy Killer Whale is actually a dolphin but unlike most dolphins, it keeps away from humans and it’s particularly aggressive in captivity.

Pygmy Killer Whale (Illustration: Marinebio.org)

Often confused with the melon-headed dolphin or the false killer whale, the Pygmy Killer Whale is a poorly-known oceanic dolphin.

This species is very rare indeed and gets its common name from some of the physical characteristics it shares with the Orca (killer whale). This is the smallest among the species that have”whale” attached to their common name.

Despite sharing many physical characteristics with killer whales, what distances them is their

Oct

2017

The Russian Business Of Killer Whale Trade

Animal rights activists are continuously alarmed over Russia’s killer whale trade.

A Pod Of Killer Whales In Russian Waters (Photo: FEROP)

Although many countries worldwide are gradually ending dolphin capture and entertainment due to the obviously negative effects of captivity on these creatures, countries like China aren’t. And Russia is supplying the required “goods” in large numbers.

In fact, Chinese dolphinariums and aquariums are expanding and drawing large crowds with Russian dolphins and whales on display. The most common large marine mammals in question

Oct

2017

Species Profile: The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin is a well-known species that’s strikingly similar to the common bottlenose dolphin.

An Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, Port River, Adelaide, Australia (Photo: Aude Steiner)

The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin is another species of bottlenose dolphins.

Though they appear somewhat similar to the common bottlenose dolphin at first glance, a closer examination shows some clear differences.

For instance, although its back is also dark gray, its belly is lighter a gray shade or nearly white with gray spots. In addition, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is typically smaller than the common bottlenose dolphin. The Indo-Pacific species also has more teeth than the common species.

Just like the common bottlenose dolphins, this species has a stout and muscular body, and tall,

Oct

2017

Viral Killer Whale Video: 7 Of The Best Ever

Our Killer Whale video roundup features real footage of the apex marine predators at their element.

Our Compilation Of Killer Whale Videos Will Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat.

Killer Whales, or Orcas, are likely the most majestic, beautiful, yet frightening creatures out in the Earth’s waters today.

This is the ultimate apex predator and no other large sea creature is safe from it: Not even the Blue Whale!

Lucky for us, they don’t target humans as prey and can even be quite friendly out in the wild. So, we’ve searched for the most popular killer whale videos from recent years up till 2017 and

Aug

2017

10 Orca Deaths In Captivity At Marine Parks

If you still need convincing that captivity is deadly to dolphins and other cetaceans, here’s the evidence from so many orca deaths in captivity.

Sumar While Alive At SeaWorld Orlando. (Courtesy: orcapod.wikia.com)

Animals dying is a natural process: we all know that. But have you ever wondered about the many orca (killer whale) deaths in captivity?

Why is it that none of them died of old age?

So far, at least 167 orca whales have died in captivity. And, they died long before their kind usually do in the wild. In the wild, these creatures can live up to 60/70 years for males and 80/100 for females.

In captivity, you’re looking at averagely 10/15 years.

Jun

2017

Dolphins In Captivity Right Or Wrong?

Keeping dolphins in captivity remains a controversial subject with many arguments for and against it.

Two bottle nose dolphins: Dolphins in captivity

Two Bottlenose Dolphins: Aren’t They Better Off In The Sea?

Due to the remarkably high cognitive abilities of dolphins, they have become a popular target for dolphinariums, water parks and other amusement centers.

In fact, keeping dolphins in captivity has grown over time to become a big industry.

In recent times, you can even find them on display in places like casinos, and malls playing around and doing tricks to catch your attention. The most commonly captured dolphins are the common bottlenose dolphin and the orca or killer whale. The bottlenose dolphin in particular is a favorite because it’s relatively easier to maintain and train than the orca.