Despite growing international restrictions, wild dolphins continue to be captured for marine parks and swim-with-dolphin programs, causing significant welfare harm and conservation impacts.
Wild dolphin capture is traumatic. Drive hunts involve hours of pursuit and confinement in nets. Family pods are separated; calves may be selected and mothers killed or released. The transition from open ocean to a tank creates profound sensory deprivation — dolphin sonar bounces off tank walls, causing chronic stress. Captive dolphins develop stereotypies, aggression, and depression-like states. Their lifespan in captivity is markedly shorter than in the wild despite veterinary care.