Dolphins in marine theme parks live in conditions dramatically different from their natural ocean environment, raising significant welfare questions that have driven public debate for decades.
Captive dolphins in tank environments cannot express ranging, foraging, or social behaviors that define their existence in the wild. The acoustic environment of a concrete tank, with crowd noise and music, represents a significant stressor for animals that use echolocation as their primary sense. Aggressive interactions in artificially constructed social groups cause injuries. Research shows dolphins in restricted environments show stereotypic swimming patterns consistent with psychological distress in other species.