"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
As a Bahamian, I feel ashamed to know we are even considering allowing not the first, not the second, not even the third captive dolphin facility in the country but, a fourth! Dolphins do not belong in captivity! These are highly intelligent, socially complex animals that form life-long pods (family groups). What are we as a very small island nation saying about ourselves & our ethics that we are OK with four of these facilities existing?
I would like to reiterate what was said in one of the above comments, google dolphins in captivity. No dolphin is going to willingly go into a cage & stay there. No dolphin is going to choose to be imprisoned in a swimming pool sized cage for the rest of its life over having the freedom of the ocean, where they belong, to swim 50 plus miles per day.
In Bimini there are several operations in existence that allow tourists to see & swim with dolphins in their natural habitat, the ocean. The movement these days is towards ecotourism. We have beautiful beaches & beautiful oceans full of the oceans' creatures in their natural habitat & that is what we should be promoting.
Opening an island getaway for cruise ship passengers to go to is one thing & it's a great thing to give them the opportunity to see & experience our natural beauty. Including a cage full of wild creatures held against their will is a different story altogether.
To quote the former "Flipper" trainer turned dolphin activist Ric O'Barry "A dolphin's smile is the greatest deception. It creates the illusion that they're always happy.”
For_Oceans says...
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
As a Bahamian, I feel ashamed to know we are even considering allowing not the first, not the second, not even the third captive dolphin facility in the country but, a fourth! Dolphins do not belong in captivity! These are highly intelligent, socially complex animals that form life-long pods (family groups). What are we as a very small island nation saying about ourselves & our ethics that we are OK with four of these facilities existing?
I would like to reiterate what was said in one of the above comments, google dolphins in captivity. No dolphin is going to willingly go into a cage & stay there. No dolphin is going to choose to be imprisoned in a swimming pool sized cage for the rest of its life over having the freedom of the ocean, where they belong, to swim 50 plus miles per day.
In Bimini there are several operations in existence that allow tourists to see & swim with dolphins in their natural habitat, the ocean. The movement these days is towards ecotourism. We have beautiful beaches & beautiful oceans full of the oceans' creatures in their natural habitat & that is what we should be promoting.
Opening an island getaway for cruise ship passengers to go to is one thing & it's a great thing to give them the opportunity to see & experience our natural beauty. Including a cage full of wild creatures held against their will is a different story altogether.
To quote the former "Flipper" trainer turned dolphin activist Ric O'Barry "A dolphin's smile is the greatest deception. It creates the illusion that they're always happy.”
On Protests grow over dolphins
Posted 19 September 2013, 7:48 a.m. Suggest removal