Captive Dolphin Dies During Display

WDCS is saddened to learn of the death of Sharky, a bottlenose dolphin held at Discovery Cove, Florida. Sharky and another dolphin, Tyler collided mid-air during their last routine of the day. Although Tyler seemed unharmed by the incident, Sharky died shortly after from injuries sustained during the trick-gone-wrong.

Studies show that whales and dolphins in captivity have a lower life expectancy and a higher infant mortality than wild dolphins. Confinement in captivity of dolphins and other cetaceans can alter their behaviour so radically that captives cannot depict a true sense of their species. Dolphins are free-living creatures used to travelling many tens of kilometres a day and well adapted to life in the open ocean. In captivity they are forced into relative idleness in an artificial environment where their behaviour is controlled and subdued by humans. They are made to interact with species and individuals they would normally avoid in the wild and whose presence may cause them stress and discomfort and who may display aggression towards them or provoke aggressive behaviour in them. Such displays of character may also occur between dolphin and human visitor or trainer. Captive displays can never truly demonstrate the complex lives of whales and dolphins nor the natural environment they are designed to inhabit.

In 2006, a random incident happened whereby a young dolphin died of a fractured skull at the age of just seven months after jumping out of his pool and hitting his head on a concrete deck.

WDCS also has many concerns relating to the interaction between visitors and dolphins in captive facilities. These include the welfare of the animal (including the lack of respite these programmes offer from forced interaction and the potential for injury and mental disturbance from irresponsible human behaviour), the risk of aggression towards people and the potential for disease transmission between human and dolphin.

In captivity, dolphins cannot escape from human swimmers when they do not want to interact with them.  Some dolphins have been observed demonstrating signs of alarm when they were in close proximity to swimmers and nails and jewellery can damage dolphins’ delicate skin. Swimmers in swim-with-the-dolphins programmes have been known to incur bites, bruises, scratches, abrasions and broken bones.

WDCS continues to campaign against all whales and dolphins being held by the captivity industry, and believes this recent upsetting and tragic incident highlights one reason why whales and dolphins should not be kept in captivity.

Article link:
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A SeaWorld dolphin died after it collided with another dolphin during an aerial show trick performed in front of a crowd.

Officials said the dolphin, called Sharky, hit the other dolphin during a Sunday show at SeaWorld's Discovery Cove. The accident was apparently a freak accident.

Sharky was a 30-year-old female dolphin that had performed the trick dozens of times, officials said.

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