Animal presentation, shows, and education

[TheMightyOrca]

I've been mulling over this whole "cetacean captivity" thing for a while now. I'm opposed to orca captivity and I'm pretty on edge about other cetaceans in captivity. However, I can't help but wonder if I'd feel a bit better about it if more places changed the way the animals were presented.

So I'm asking for, opinions or studies on the matter. Do you guys feel that the way animals are presented in zoos, aquariums, and parks can affect whether or not guests get something positive (conservation/education wise) out of it? Can certain things results in guests going away with something negative? A lot of places, not just theme parks but zoos and aquariums, that keep cetaceans typically have shows and "swim with the dolphins" programs. I've been wondering lately if that kind of thing might be doing the opposite of education and prevents people from seeing them as wild animals, and potentially hurting conservation efforts or responsible behavior to wild dolphins. (for instance, people thinking it's okay to try to pet or feed wild dolphins) Add to this that many are kept in tanks that look more like swimming pools than natural environments, and don't often get many opportunities to display natural behaviors. This is in contrast with most animals kept in zoos and aquariums, where few species perform tricks and most live in exhibits that try to replicate a natural environment, which not only allows the animal to perform natural behaviors but also gives visitors an idea of what kind of place this animal lives in.

So... Are there any studies on this matter? What opinions do you guys have? What places do you think are really good, or really bad, in this regard? How do you think things can be improved, assuming you feel they need to be improved or can be improved? Do you feel this kind of thing is an issue with animals other than cetaceans?

 

[Devi]

I asked a question a while back, dunno if it was here or another forum, about why cetacean exhibits don't have furniture, it'd look so much nicer with rocks and reeds and stuff, but apparently as open water animals it would be detrimental to them and of no real use. Don't know if that's true but I know it's true for certain fish.
I do think if they looked nicer there'd be less of this anti stuff going on, maybe if its the case that they can't then it should be explained very clearly around the tank and in publicity exactly why?

 

[TheMightyOrca]

I asked a question a while back, dunno if it was here or another forum, about why cetacean exhibits don't have furniture, it'd look so much nicer with rocks and reeds and stuff, but apparently as open water animals it would be detrimental to them and of no real use. Don't know if that's true but I know it's true for certain fish.
I do think if they looked nicer there'd be less of this anti stuff going on, maybe if its the case that they can't then it should be explained very clearly around the tank and in publicity exactly why?

Maybe it's a money thing. Having a lot of extra stuff in a large, already expensive tank is going to cost a lot, and be more difficult to clean. Since a lot of dolphin places run shows, maybe having extra stuff would get in the way of that. There are a few places that have tanks with rocks, so I know it's not impossible. Some places use small amounts of chlorine in marine mammal tanks; anyone know if that would prevent saltwater plants from surviving?

But yeah, it would be nice if more places gave them more of an environment to interact with.

 

[vogelcommando]

At Dolfinarium Harderwijk - the Netherlands - part of the Bottle-nosed dolphins are kept in an outside enclosure called "Lagune" and this realy looks nice and the animals seems to do well in this enclosure.
The 'swimming with dolphin' programms are IMO only money-making programms and I dislike them VERY much !
'Normal' shows - althrough I don't like them either - are IMO good to keep the animals healthy.

 

[TheMightyOrca]

At Dolfinarium Harderwijk - the Netherlands - part of the Bottle-nosed dolphins are kept in an outside enclosure called "Lagune" and this realy looks nice and the animals seems to do well in this enclosure.
The 'swimming with dolphin' programms are IMO only money-making programms and I dislike them VERY much !
'Normal' shows - althrough I don't like them either - are IMO good to keep the animals healthy.

That's pretty cool.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of "swim with" programs either. Part of it because I think it discourages people from seeing them as wild animals, though a bigger concern is potential stress to the animal. If a person pays a few hundred bucks to do this thing, the animal isn't going to be given the option to swim away if it's not feeling it. (though I imagine this would be less of a concern at places with many animals; I assume such places choose different dolphins each time based on mood and personality)

Shows, I'm a bit more mixed on. Though as stated, much of my concern is fear that it affects how people see the animals in ways we don't want. I know a lot of places use them as a form of enrichment. (though a lot of zoos do train animals for enrichment without having them do shows) Maybe I'd take less issue if they were a bit less flashy and circus-y, and if they could find a way to make them more educational while still being entertaining. I've seen bird shows where keepers would go on a small stage and bring out different birds and talk about them, and then have them do cool things like fly around the audience or talk, or catch food thrown into the air. No flashy lights or loud pop music, but still really entertaining, and educational.

 

[Leptonyx]

Hey TheMightyOrca;

If you're curious on research; I suggest you check out this publication:

http://www.marineconnection.org/docs/The Case against Marine Mammals in Captivity (HSUS).pdf

It's a little bit of an older (2006) and a lengthier read; but it covers a lot of the topics you've brought up in this post in regards to education/swim with dolphin programs (in addition to other concerns such as husbandry, adequate caging, behaviour, enrichment, etc.). It's written by the Humane Society of the United States but don't let that deter you, one of the reasons I liked this publication was because it cited the original research/papers/legislation/etc. so you can check back on the original source if you'd like more details (or if you think they're yanking your chain/want to follow up).

So far I've only been to one aquarium (that I can remember) that utilized dolphins/orcas in daily shows, and I was horrified. Educational merit was zero to none, and was more focused on anthropomorphizing the animal ("Splashy the dolphin is waving at you!", "Who wants to get SOAKED?!", etc). They didn't have a "swim with dolphins" program but they had a "touch the orca" program and the tactics they used were abysmal, including slapping the surface of the water to herd an orca back when she'd decided she had had enough of the public touching her.

Anyways, I think you can take a few guesses on my current view on using cetaceans in education (and in captivity for that matter). I personally have been using animals in education for several years including various reptiles/non-releasable birds of prey/small mammals. For the most part any animal can be made interesting if you have enough background information and you know how to pitch it, and without the use of flashy add-ons. I think its vital that the public understands that you are respecting the animal, and that the animals' own comfort level comes first. I have on more than one occasion told members of the public if the animal is not comfortable/getting stressed then for the animals' own sake, I will need to put them away.

Anyways I'll stop rambling for now, but definitely check out the Humane Society publication, its got some real hidden gems of research in there. I was originally looking into and hoping to do a Masters degree on this very topic (the educational merit of dolphins in captivity) but funding wasn't available, but its a subject that I'm still very interested in anyways

 

[TheMightyOrca]

Hey TheMightyOrca;

If you're curious on research; I suggest you check out this publication:

http://www.marineconnection.org/docs/The Case against Marine Mammals in Captivity (HSUS).pdf

It's a little bit of an older (2006) and a lengthier read; but it covers a lot of the topics you've brought up in this post in regards to education/swim with dolphin programs (in addition to other concerns such as husbandry, adequate caging, behaviour, enrichment, etc.). It's written by the Humane Society of the United States but don't let that deter you, one of the reasons I liked this publication was because it cited the original research/papers/legislation/etc. so you can check back on the original source if you'd like more details (or if you think they're yanking your chain/want to follow up).

So far I've only been to one aquarium (that I can remember) that utilized dolphins/orcas in daily shows, and I was horrified. Educational merit was zero to none, and was more focused on anthropomorphizing the animal ("Splashy the dolphin is waving at you!", "Who wants to get SOAKED?!", etc). They didn't have a "swim with dolphins" program but they had a "touch the orca" program and the tactics they used were abysmal, including slapping the surface of the water to herd an orca back when she'd decided she had had enough of the public touching her.

Anyways, I think you can take a few guesses on my current view on using cetaceans in education (and in captivity for that matter). I personally have been using animals in education for several years including various reptiles/non-releasable birds of prey/small mammals. For the most part any animal can be made interesting if you have enough background information and you know how to pitch it, and without the use of flashy add-ons. I think its vital that the public understands that you are respecting the animal, and that the animals' own comfort level comes first. I have on more than one occasion told members of the public if the animal is not comfortable/getting stressed then for the animals' own sake, I will need to put them away.

Anyways I'll stop rambling for now, but definitely check out the Humane Society publication, its got some real hidden gems of research in there. I was originally looking into and hoping to do a Masters degree on this very topic (the educational merit of dolphins in captivity) but funding wasn't available, but its a subject that I'm still very interested in anyways

I've read that paper before; it really is quite good.

I like the point you made about respect. That's the big part of it for me. If the animals are presented as entertainers first and wild animals second, that's kind of the opposite of the whole "teach people to respect nature" thing that zoos are supposed to do. And comfort. One of my issues with "swim with" programs is that a lot the animals don't really get a chance to move away if it doesn't want to participate. (people pay a lot of money for those programs so the place pretty much has to deliver) I mean, in a typical modern zoo exhibit, animals generally have shelters and hiding places if they don't want to be around people. I saw a thing about one resort that did seem to have a pretty decent dolphin swim program. They have a lot of dolphins, and when people come for a scheduled interaction, the employees pick different dolphins each time depending on which one seems up for the job. They even have free swim sessions in larger areas where the dolphins interact with the people as they choose, so that's kind of neat.

I think there would be less opposition to dolphin captivity if presentation was different. I'm not big on the circus-style shows. I really wish there was more attempt to integrate education into them. I've seen plenty of places make entertaining and educational presentations with birds. Yeah, they weren't all flashy with lights and music, but they're still a lot of fun, people learn, and they don't give off any bad impressions.

I think dolphin captivity CAN be used to educate, it's just that there doesn't seem to have been as much work in making them educational as it is with other animals, and I want to figure out why that is. Sure, there is value in getting to see the animal, but if that's all there is to it, then a tiger in a small concrete enclosure at a truck stop should be educational. Keeping cetaceans is pretty expensive, so places probably use shows and swim-with programs to justify keeping them around. If aquariums and the like are going to keep them around, I'd like to see more work in the educational aspect. After all, of course dolphin captivity isn't going to be educational if most of the places are more focused on entertainment over education. It's hard to use truck stop tiger as proof that tiger captivity is inherently bad when there's a nice zoo with a big, state-of-the-art tiger exhibit with grass and trees and toys and the like.