Captive dolphin welfare has been among the most contested issues in animal welfare, driven by the cognitive complexity and social sophistication of cetaceans. Bottlenose dolphins in captivity show variable welfare outcomes depending on facility quality, group composition, and management approach. Welfare concerns include restriction of natural movement (dolphins travel 40-100 km daily in the wild), limited social group options, artificial feeding eliminating natural foraging behaviour, and public performance requirements incompatible with natural behaviour. Research on captive dolphin welfare indicators identifies stereotypic swimming, aggression, reproductive failure, and shortened lifespan as negative indicators. Some facilities demonstrate positive welfare through enriched environments, voluntary choice programmes, and naturalistic social groupings. The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and national legislation in many countries restricts captive cetacean keeping. Public attitudes are shifting rapidly against captive dolphin entertainment following documentary coverage.