Captive dolphins and other cetaceans in marine parks face welfare challenges that arise from the fundamental incompatibility between their natural ranging behavior and captive confinement.
The fundamental welfare problem with captive cetaceans is the profound mismatch between their natural existence and what captivity can provide. Animals evolved to range vast ocean territories, navigate through echolocation in acoustically rich environments, and participate in complex long-term social relationships are confined to chemically treated tanks where social groups are determined by facility logistics rather than natural choice. The welfare costs are documented in high stress hormone levels, stereotypic behaviors, aggression between incompatible tank mates, and early mortality. Education and conservation arguments that previously justified captive cetacean programs are weakened by technological alternatives and the lack of demonstrated conservation outcomes from the vast majority of captive programs.