Dolphin and whale species in captivity

Yep, I think SeaWorld has the permits to obtain Kirara but I don't know when she's being moved. Considering the scars, I doubt her mother was obtained from a drive hunt. Drive hunts picking out animals to sell to aquariums usually just take the more attractive animals; aquariums won't want to buy a scarred up animal. She would've been killed or released.

Anyway, has there been any more information on Chester the false killer whale? I doubt he can be released, but the only other place in the US that has false killer whales is in Hawaii. Would they be willing to send him that far, or would they try to pair him up with a different but compatible species? Like, what do you guys think will happen?
 
JVM said:
I've heard speculation they would be a good species for captivity due to the shallowness of some of their habitat and supposedly, that they don't mind swimming in circles. I've said before that despite the failures with river dolphins in the eighties, I think the continued survival of a few specimens who were accommodated is a signal that the family could be supported in captivity today, especially with decades of additional research to assist.
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Many river dolphins also tend to have smaller, looser social groups; some are even just found on their own. So a place keeping captive river dolphins wouldn't have to worry about getting lots of them; maybe some could even be kept on their own. It would eliminate (or at least minimize) social-related problems seen in some captive oceanic dolphins, and fewer dolphins would mean less space needed.
 
Molly of the Dolphin Research Center has fallen ill. Currently she is the oldest Dolphin in their care, at an estimated age of somewhere between 48-53 years of age. Unfortunately animal rights activists have chosen to make a big deal out of this.

Hot Topics - Dolphin Research Center Click on "About Molly."

Molly is getting better, however. Also Molly originally came to the DRC after being confiscated from the Sugarloaf Dolphin Sanctuary. Does anyone know more about this, and about Molly in general?
 
I was reading up on Taiji, and it seems most of the dolphins in the drive hunt this year have been Risso's dolphins. Has me curious on the subject of Risso's dolphins in captivity; anyone have any good sources or articles on the matter?
 
TheMightyOrca said:
I was reading up on Taiji, and it seems most of the dolphins in the drive hunt this year have been Risso's dolphins. Has me curious on the subject of Risso's dolphins in captivity; anyone have any good sources or articles on the matter?[/QUOTE}

The Audubon Society guide I read last year claims there have been Risso's/Bottlenose hybrids in the past, both in the wild and in captivity. When I next go the library I will look at it again and get back to you if I remember.

Maybe they are the new fad? I hope not.
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wensleydale said:
The Audubon Society guide I read last year claims there have been Risso's/Bottlenose hybrids in the past, both in the wild and in captivity. When I next go the library I will look at it again and get back to you if I remember.

Maybe they are the new fad? I hope not.
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From what it seems, Risso's are just more common in this hunt. The other species haven't been showing up to Taiji too much so far. I don't know how many Risso's have been captured, but it's at least a few. (they've found two white Risso's dolphins, interestingly enough. How weird is that?) Has a regular Risso's dolphin ever been successfully bred? I haven't been able to find any information.

Is this Audobon Guide you're referring to their guide to marine mammals? I just ordered that online last week cause I hear it's fantastic.
 
TheMightyOrca said:
From what it seems, Risso's are just more common in this hunt. The other species haven't been showing up to Taiji too much so far. I don't know how many Risso's have been captured, but it's at least a few. (they've found two white Risso's dolphins, interestingly enough. How weird is that?) Has a regular Risso's dolphin ever been successfully bred? I haven't been able to find any information.

Is this Audobon Guide you're referring to their guide to marine mammals? I just ordered that online last week cause I hear it's fantastic.
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Yes, and alas I got engrossed in a book about growing oyster mushrooms while I was at the library so you will have to wait for it to arrive to check for yourself.

It is fantastic, even more so when you don't have to pay for it. However it is from the early 200s so some of the data may be out of date.
 
wensleydale said:
Yes, and alas I got engrossed in a book about growing oyster mushrooms while I was at the library so you will have to wait for it to arrive to check for yourself.

It is fantastic, even more so when you don't have to pay for it. However it is from the early 200s so some of the data may be out of date.
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I don't mind it being a few years off. Up to date, comprehensive guide books aren't always available.

A lot of used bookstores sell stuff through Amazon. Many of the stores are just trying to get rid of stuff and will sell books for as little as one cent, so I only paid a few bucks for the guide. (Jacques Cousteau: Ocean World was available for only one cent, so I basically just paid the price of shipping for that, ha ha) I'm just impatient waiting for it to get in. It's a great way to get environment and animal guide books because those are often available used at low prices. Maybe there's not a lot of demand for them used? These days I mostly read library books and whatever will download on my Kindle, but I still buy physical guide books that I plan to use multiple times. (the regular Kindle isn't big on books with lots of pictures, and just as well, it's in black and white, and the Fire is kind of annoying to use) I've been trying to find some comprehensive sea life guides lately, cause I write about mermaids and it's good to have ocean references on hand.

As for Risso's dolphins becoming a fad? From what little information I can find, it doesn't sound like they do particularly well in captivity, but you can correct me if I'm wrong. (it seems most captive Risso's dolphins are in Japan, so, not a lot of English sources. Because of the current focus on them, thanks in part due to the white ones, I'm expecting that some sources might come up soon) I did wonder if the increase in Risso's dolphins at Taiji could result in them becoming more prominent in captivity, but unless a lot of places can keep them alive for more than a few months, I dunno if that will happen.
 
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AverageWalrus said:
Just a question, would it be possible to keep Hourglass Dolphins in captivity (there my favorite species of dolphin)
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They do share a genus with the Pacific white-sided dolphins that have been popular in captivity, so it's not unfeasible. Though the hourglass dolphin is a bit more elusive, and I don't think it lives in any region where marine mammal captures are common, and as far as I'm aware, they've never been hunted for food. (meaning, no shot of asking dolphin hunters to take a few live specimens) It might be possible to keep them in captivity, but unless there's a sudden demand for a greater diversity of cetaceans on public display, I doubt we're gonna see it any time soon.
 
Though it is traditionally placed in the genus Lagenorhynchus, recent molecular analyses indicate that the hourglass dolphin is actually more closely related to the dolphins of the genus Cephalorhynchus.
 
There is talk of a new genus for Hourglass, Pacific White Sided, Dusky, and Peale's Dolphins. It would be named Sagmatias. They would form a clade with the weird looking right whale dolphins, with whom they are believed to share feeding grounds.
 
So I'm trying to find information on wild Japanese orca, but because the population is sparse and hasn't been extensively studied, it's difficult. A handful of Japanese orca were taken into captivity in 1997. A pod of ten was unlucky enough to swim by Taiji and they were corralled, with five taken and the rest released. They're often called the "Taiji Five" or the "Taiji Ten". Does anyone know where I can get information on them? None of them lived very long, so it's pretty tough. There's a good amount of info on the captures, but not on the whales themselves. Anyone have any good sources? Mostly I'm trying to see if there's information from them that can be applied to the wild orca of Japan.
 
I know that the largest Killer Whale ever found was from Japanese waters, it was over 30 feet long. Also, there was a calf that was kept at Kamogawa Sea World, I think. He appears to have been found alone, without his mother, and only lived long enough to be named. If I misremembered the existence of the calf, I'll let you know.
 
wensleydale said:
I know that the largest Killer Whale ever found was from Japanese waters, it was over 30 feet long. Also, there was a calf that was kept at Kamogawa Sea World, I think. He appears to have been found alone, without his mother, and only lived long enough to be named. If I misremembered the existence of the calf, I'll let you know.
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I didn't know the biggest orca was found in Japan. That's pretty cool! Bet it was a beautiful animal; I think the big bulls look the coolest. Are Japanese orca large in general, or was this animal an exception? I know the Gulf of Mexico orcas are considered to be fairly small. I'm pretty interested in morphological variations between populations.
 
Okay, here's where I learned about the stranded Japanese calf, they did not in fact name him. Nonetheless it does seem that he was a bona fide stranding, he died after 3 days of round the clock care. I'll keep looking for the Japanese reference.

Cetacean Cousins: Captive Orca
 
Back in July Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescued an Atlantic Spotted Dolphin. Last I heard she was alive and her future was being discussed. Has anyone heard anything else about her? I find their website impossible to navigate.
 
wensleydale said:
Back in July Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescued an Atlantic Spotted Dolphin. Last I heard she was alive and her future was being discussed. Has anyone heard anything else about her? I find their website impossible to navigate.
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They have this page on their website, but it doesn't have a lot of information. Maybe there just isn't any news yet? I guess you can sign up for their email updates and see if they offer anything on the dolphin.
 
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