Should EPCOT's dolphins be released?

[unkadug]

In case no one noticed...three year old thread. Just saying!

I just saw the picture that I posted and realized that myself.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I was just thinking.....if dolphins are so smart, why haven't they freed themselves?

 

[unkadug]

I was just thinking.....if dolphins are so smart, why haven't they freed themselves?

Or at the least filed a legal brief asking for a government pardon.

 

[Nemo14]

I was just thinking.....if dolphins are so smart, why haven't they freed themselves?

Last visit to Epcot the dolphin tanks were completely empty...nothing but water in there. Talk about disappointing when one of the sole reasons for going into the seas was to see dolphins!

Apparently they read hakunamatata's post....

 

[Hakunamatata]

Apparently they read hakunamatata's post....

I'm a dolphin life coach.

 

[Nemo14]

I'm a dolphin life coach.

You photograph really well....

 

[Hakunamatata]

You photograph really well....

I didn't realize I had released that photo for publication....

 

[Nemo14]

I didn't realize I had released that photo for publication....

I always have my camera handy.

 

[thomas998]

What do y'all think? After the unfortunate incident at Sea World people are giving more thought to the question of how ethical it is to keep cetaceans in captivity. After all, dolphins and whales are highly social creatures adapted to life in the open sea. Keeping them in a tank, even a fairly largish one like the one in the Seas, has been compared to trapping a human in a phone booth.

I'm sure that the fish in the tank don't even realize they're not in the ocean. Fish are pretty stupid, after all. But dolphins are one of those creatures that seems to have more intelligence than it needs to simply survive. Assuming EPCOT's dolphins have the skills necessary to survive in the wild, is keeping them in captivity to amuse tourists really justifiable?

I think the first question is just how smart the dolphins really are. The reality is the animal rights nut jobs have spent decades trying to hype the intelligence of dolphins and whales... The love to claim they are as smart as humans or sometimes smarter... Of course when you look at things in a more realistic sense that isn't really the case. How many times have you seen a person stupid enough to walk into a fence and die? Dolphins are constantly swimming into fishing nets and then drowning... Would a really smart animal even be swimming near fishing boats?

Sorry, but I can train a parrot to talk, but it doesn't mean the bird is really smart, just trained.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I think the first question is just how smart the dolphins really are. The reality is the animal rights nut jobs have spent decades trying to hype the intelligence of dolphins and whales... The love to claim they are as smart as humans or sometimes smarter... Of course when you look at things in a more realistic sense that isn't really the case. How many times have you seen a person stupid enough to walk into a fence and die? Dolphins are constantly swimming into fishing nets and then drowning... Would a really smart animal even be swimming near fishing boats?

That's like saying people are dumber than dolphins because they keep dying by the tens of thousands by walking into moving cars. After all, if humans are so smart, would they even be getting close to cars?

You'll find dolphins are very intelligent in navigating the perils and opportunities of their environment. I do question the wisdom of keeping smart mammals who roam vast territories in small cages.

EPCOT's tank is entirely insufficient for the well-being of large cetaceans. By today's standards, keeping dolphins in The Seas is moving ever closer into plain animal abuse territory. I, for one, am beginning to feel quite uncomfortable about it.

 

[thomas998]

That's like saying people are dumber than dolphins because they keep dying by the tens of thousands by walking into moving cars. After all, if humans are so smart, would they even be getting close to cars?

You'll find dolphins are very intelligent in navigating the perils and opportunities of their environment. I do question the wisdom of keeping smart mammals who roam vast territories in small cages.

EPCOT's tank is entirely insufficient for the well-being of large cetaceans. By today's standards, keeping dolphins in The Seas is moving ever closer into plain animal abuse territory. I, for one, am beginning to feel quite uncomfortable about it.

Clearly you are one of the animal rights folks. I am not. If dolphin was on the menu I would happily try it, hopefully it wouldn't just taste like chicken. Animals are animals and while I see no point in tap dancing on puppies for the fun of it, I also don't see any reason to give animals any rights. I see nothing wrong with testing drugs on bunnies and certainly see no reason to empty out the the zoos and aquariums of the world just because the animals or fish might not enjoy being in a cage.

 

[J_Carioca]

Clearly you are one of the animal rights folks. I am not. If dolphin was on the menu I would happily try it, hopefully it wouldn't just taste like chicken. Animals are animals and while I see no point in tap dancing on puppies for the fun of it, I also don't see any reason to give animals any rights. I see nothing wrong with testing drugs on bunnies and certainly see no reason to empty out the the zoos and aquariums of the world just because the animals or fish might not enjoy being in a cage.

Where is the "dislike" button?

 

[J_Carioca]

That's like saying people are dumber than dolphins because they keep dying by the tens of thousands by walking into moving cars. After all, if humans are so smart, would they even be getting close to cars?

You'll find dolphins are very intelligent in navigating the perils and opportunities of their environment. I do question the wisdom of keeping smart mammals who roam vast territories in small cages.

EPCOT's tank is entirely insufficient for the well-being of large cetaceans. By today's standards, keeping dolphins in The Seas is moving ever closer into plain animal abuse territory. I, for one, am beginning to feel quite uncomfortable about it.

I agree with everything you have said. As others have pointed out, the dolphins at Epcot are probably receiving top-notch care and work with marine biologists that have a tremendous respect for the animals. But that doesn't change the fact that they are not meant to live in small aquariums. They just aren't. They are extremely intelligent and highly social animals that need a lot of space.

At this point the dolphins at Epcot probably can't be released because they now lack the skills to survive in the wild. I really hope that when they die or retire, that they are not replaced.

 

[J_Carioca]

I think the first question is just how smart the dolphins really are. The reality is the animal rights nut jobs have spent decades trying to hype the intelligence of dolphins and whales... The love to claim they are as smart as humans or sometimes smarter... Of course when you look at things in a more realistic sense that isn't really the case. How many times have you seen a person stupid enough to walk into a fence and die? Dolphins are constantly swimming into fishing nets and then drowning... Would a really smart animal even be swimming near fishing boats?

Sorry, but I can train a parrot to talk, but it doesn't mean the bird is really smart, just trained.

So according to your system, only creatures that are exceptionally smart should be treated with any compassion or respect? Does that apply to humans too? Hate to break it to you, but there are some humans that are less intelligent than the average gorilla.