Cetaceans and pinnipeds in captivity face welfare challenges that have driven increasing public concern and legislative action, with significant debate over whether adequate welfare can be provided in human facilities.
The welfare of captive cetaceans — particularly dolphins and orcas — presents a fundamental challenge: these are animals whose evolutionary adaptations (large range, complex social structures, acoustic environments, and three-dimensional movement) may be incompatible with welfare satisfaction in any human-built facility. The evidence of shortened lifespans, physiological abnormalities, and behavioral stereotypy in captive cetaceans suggests chronic welfare deficits. Whether better-designed facilities can adequately address these deficits, or whether the answer is a complete phase-out of cetacean captivity, is now a genuine policy question rather than a fringe position.