Captive dolphins in marine parks and swim-with-dolphin programs face welfare challenges that scientific research has increasingly documented, shifting public and regulatory attitudes globally.
Captive dolphin welfare is one of the most well-documented welfare failures in the entertainment animal industry. The combination of restricted space, impoverished social environments, forced interactions with humans, and the use of food deprivation as a training tool creates chronic welfare deficits that behavioral monitoring consistently identifies. The dolphin-assisted therapy sector adds an additional welfare concern: dolphins are subjected to contact with and interaction from children they cannot control or retreat from, in facilities often less well-regulated than marine parks. The claimed therapeutic benefits — which would at least provide a welfare trade-off justification — are not supported by scientific evidence in systematic reviews. The welfare case for phasing out captive dolphin entertainment programs is strong, and the economic model is declining as public opinion shifts. Sea pen sanctuaries that allow rescued and unreleasable dolphins to live in more naturalistic environments represent a welfare improvement pathway for the existing captive population.