Dolphins in marine parks live dramatically shortened lives in barren tank environments that deny their complex social, spatial, and cognitive needs.
Captive dolphins show multiple welfare indicators of chronic stress including stereotypic swimming, skin lesions from tank walls, and social aggression in artificially composed groups. Their shortened lifespans alone testify to the welfare gap between captive and wild existence. The entertainment industry has consistently argued that captive dolphins serve educational purposes, but evidence suggests this education rarely translates to conservation behavior change.