Dolphins, orcas, and other cetaceans face profound welfare challenges in captivity, with growing scientific consensus that their needs cannot be adequately met in any current facility design.
Cetacean captivity welfare represents one of the clearest cases where scientific evidence argues that no commercially viable captive environment can meet species welfare needs. Orcas in particular require vast oceanic ranges, complex multigenerational social structures, and predatory behaviour that pool environments cannot approximate. The welfare indicators - stereotypic pacing, aggression toward trainers and conspecifics, early mortality, and dorsal fin collapse - consistently indicate poor welfare across facilities. The welfare argument for ending cetacean captivity does not require the animals to have spectacular cognitive abilities, though they do; it requires only recognising that their welfare needs exceed what captivity can provide.