It is easy to believe that leaving dolphins to live in the wild is the right thing to do. We all love images of dolphins swimming in blue limitless waters. It is far more difficult to get people to see what’s happening below the water or on the surface of our oceans. If you are tuned into the environment, you know oceans are struggling more than they ever have. Seeing a dolphin in the wild might not necessarily indicate that it has not ingested oil, or eaten radiated fish or survived an attack by a hungry shark. We all want a wild that is free from nuclear waste, oil spills and depleted fish supplies.
Increased vulnerability to diseases, as well as reproductive failure, are concerns for wild dolphin populations due to extremely high accumulation of chemical and metal residues released into the environment by human activities through runoff or incineration and airborne transport of toxic chemicals (Starvos et al., 2011; Hall et al., 2006; Wells et al., 2005; Schwacke et al., 2002; Lahvis et al., 1995; Kuehl et al., 1991; Cockcroft et al., 1989). These findings have both direct and indirect impact on human health as well (Fair et al., 2007; Bossart, 2006; Houde et al., 2005).
We believe now more than ever, that zoological parks and research are necessary because in today’s world, humans and animals are no longer isolated from each other. Almost everything we do affects them and our shared environment. We want to work for marine animals and with marine animals. And, yes, we believe there is a great need for healthy populations of dolphins in the wild and a small number in zoological parks that have the ability to properly care for them and learn from them.