Captive marine mammals including dolphins and orcas face profound welfare challenges in tanks and pools that cannot replicate the complex social and spatial environments of the ocean.
The welfare challenges facing captive cetaceans are fundamental rather than incidental. Orcas and dolphins evolved for three-dimensional ocean environments with home ranges that can span ocean basins; no pool or tank can provide meaningful equivalent space. The social complexity of wild cetacean groups — with distinct dialects, cultural traditions, and complex kinship bonds — cannot be replicated in captive populations assembled from individuals of different origins. Stereotypic behaviours, aggressive interactions, tooth wear from concrete, and the complete inability to engage in natural hunting are the inevitable consequences of confinement.