Orcas, dolphins, and other marine mammals in captivity have been the subject of major welfare campaigns. Understanding the evidence helps advocates work effectively for reform.
Marine mammals suffer in captivity due to the fundamental mismatch between their natural ecology and captive conditions. Orcas travel up to 100 miles daily in the wild — tank conditions prevent all natural swimming patterns. Social group compositions in captivity bear no resemblance to the complex family structures of wild orcas. Noise levels in performance facilities cause acoustic stress. Despite welfare improvements at some facilities, the fundamental problems of space, social complexity, and acoustic environment cannot be resolved within current captive paradigms.