Numerous animal protection agencies (including The Vancouver Humane Society, The Humane Society of the United States, The Vancouver SPCA) all agree that whales physically suffer the limited movement allowed in small artificial pools, suffer social deprivation when removed from their families in the wild, and suffer much shorter life spans than their counterparts in the wild.

Studies on physiology, senses, and energetic can be valid in limited ways to determine such physical responses as eye sensitivity to light, or the number of calories it takes to swim a certain distance.   But, for the most part, behavioral studies on captives whales can't be applied to wild whales because captivity forces these animals to behave unnaturally.

Close-up contact with captive whales is initially a thrilling experience, but soon most people begin to sense that these magnificent mammals cannot possibly be living lives remotely resembling those they might have had in the world.  Their movements are appallingly restricted to endless circling in the pool.  They are fed dead fish to eat, are taught to perform on cue, and are forced to endure unrelenting public scrutiny for most of their captive lives.  The sole educational purpose of these whale displays is, ironically, to directly confront human beings with the selfishness and cruelty they have imposed upon a highly intelligent fellow species.  The "entertainment" provided by the whales is not "educational:, as the Aquarium maintains.

Rehabitation and release programs are a new area of scientific study.  Only ONE orca has been released into the wild. For more information about Keiko ("Free Willy"), please visit www.oceanfutures.org.

What's Wrong with Captivity?

IN THE WILD  . . .  Female orca whales are thought to live 80 years, and male orcas about 50.  Both beluga whales and dolphins can live 25 to 30 years.

IN CAPTIVITY  . . .  Whales and dolphins frequently live only a fraction of the time they would in the wild.  Many die shortly after capture, often unexpectedly, but necropsies find most die from bacterial infections.  According to records, over 24 cetaceans have died at the Vancouver Aquarium.  Bjossa has lost 2 mates and 3 babies.

IN THE WILD  . . .  Whales and dolphins are intelligent, highly social mammals who live in small family groups called "pods".  Orca offspring stay with their mothers for life.

IN CAPTIVITY  . . .  Unrelated whales and dolphins are often forced to live together in groups that are nothing like their families in the wild.  At the Vancouver Aquarium, a baby beluga whale was separated for 6 months from her mother.

IN THE WILD  . . .  Orca whales may travel up to 100 miles a day, reach speeds of 30 miles per hour and dive hundreds of feet below the water's surface.

IN CAPTIVITY  . . .  Most captive whales and dolphins can swim for only a few seconds before reaching the sides of their tanks.  Bjossa would have to swim around her tank 2500 times a day to get enough exercise.

IN THE WILD  . . .  Whales and dolphins live in a world of sound.  Orca pods have unique "dialects" containing specific sound patterns.  Whales and dolphins use echolocation to locate each other and to capture live prey.

IN CAPTIVITY  . . .  The Vancouver Aquarium, whale tanks are many times noisier than the ocean.  The glass and concrete walls frequently inhibit the natural use of sound by whales and dolphins.  The water and cooling pumps are heard underwater 24 hours a day.

IN THE WILD  . . .  Whales and dolphins have evolved for millions of years as part of a complex web of marine life. They belong in the ocean, surrounded by other sea animals, along with the tides, waves, storms, sea floors and coastlines of their natural homes.

IN CAPTIVITY  . . .  Nothing in their evolution has prepared whales or dolphins for life in captivity.  Everything is foreign - from the size and shape of the tanks, to the artificial social environment, to the textures, colours, sounds and lighting they experience, to the water they live in, which is often artificial sea water, chemically treated with chlorine.  Sadly, the results is often abnormal behaviour, aggression, injury, illness and premature death.

Captivity vs. Trends

• Over seventy established or proposed aquariums in North America are whale and dolphin-free facilities.
• Since 1990, 19 marine and amusement parks in North America have closed or discontinued dolphin shows.
• Attendance may be declining at display facilities.
• Better educational programs teach respect and care for wild cetaceans. As public learn truths about "real" cetaceans, they often pity captive ones.
• As TV, computers, and virtual reality become greater educational tools, such "justification" to keep captives on display fades further away.
• Wild whales and dolphin watching tours are a worldwide growth industry, an alternative to captivity and a deterrent to whaling.