How marine mammal sanctuaries can provide better welfare alternatives to traditional performing marine parks.
Marine mammal welfare in captivity has become one of the most publicly debated animal welfare issues following increased awareness of orca and dolphin cognition. The movement toward sanctuary alternatives to performance marine parks represents welfare improvement for animals that cannot be released but deserve better conditions than concrete tanks provide. Sea pen sanctuaries in natural marine environments provide sensory richness from natural tidal flows, wild fish, and seasonal variation that tank environments cannot replicate. Transition to sanctuary environments requires careful behavioral assessment and gradual introduction for animals habituated to human care environments. The welfare justification for keeping marine mammals in permanent captivity increasingly requires that conditions genuinely meet the animals' complex needs.