Dolphins kept in marine parks and aquariums suffer significant welfare problems compared to their wild counterparts, including shortened lifespans, chronic stress, and behavioral abnormalities.
Dolphins are among the most cognitively and socially complex animals on earth. In the wild, they travel up to 100 miles daily, live in dynamic social groups, and engage in sophisticated communication. Captivity compresses this to a fraction of natural experience. Tank acoustics amplify echoes that may disorient echolocating dolphins. Performing unnatural behaviors for food rewards is a form of operant conditioning that may further stress animals adapted for self-directed foraging. The evidence for compromised welfare in captive dolphins is extensive and consistent.