Stardust, Australia’s last travelling circus with performing animals, is about to retire its lions and monkeys. Despite no legislation preventing the circus from continuing to breed and use these animals in demeaning shows, a change in public attitude has led the circus to finally rethink its business model.
Statistics and recent Inquiries have categorically demonstrated that wild animals in circuses are no longer acceptable to the majority of the general public, thus causing their decline internationally; now we are seeing an end to circuses with exotic* animals in Australia.
So why are performing marine mammals still accepted?
If only people could see that dolphin shows and interactions at facilities like Sea World are absolutely no different to those where animals perform under the big top — wouldn’t that be amazing?
If you’re someone who thinks the animals are fine at the likes of Sea World & Marineland, then I implore you to take the time and watch the marine mammals when they are not performing or ’working’ in public interactions, shows or training sessions. Take pause to consider the environment you and they are in; don’t let the deliberately designed surrounds distract you. There’s a reason all the decor is above the water line and not below it, it’s there for you, not for the animals. They are in a barren, confined world.
Look at the behaviour.
Most, if not all of us can recognize stereotypic behaviors when we see them in terrestrial animals. They are defined as an abnormal behaviour used as a stress coping mechanism and considered an indication of poor psychological well-being. We easily empathise with these behaviours, such as tigers or lions repeatedly walking back and forth in a cage, or an elephant constantly swaying from side to side. So it baffles me why people don’t seem to recognize the same abnormalities in marine mammals. Is the reflective surface of the water that hard to see through, that we only see what we want reflected back at us?
What do you do when you’re bored and confined?
Let's assume you do take the time to watch the dolphins at these places, when they’re not performing or ‘off duty.’ Aside from those repetitive stereotypies, you might see the listlessness, or what is referred to as ‘logging.’ A bored dolphin will spend a considerable amount of time mostly motionless at the water’s surface.
Let’s face it – if you were confined to a barren room, what would you do to keep you or your mind busy when the boredom sets in.
Remember the decor, the environment mentioned earlier? It’s all there for us humans but not for the animals — these issues clearly stand out once you look into the barren pens. However, it goes beyond that. When you start to think about subtle things like shaded areas, of which there are plenty provided for the paying humans, where is the shade for the dolphins?
Lack of shade and extended logging can cause sunburn along with other related conditions in marine mammals; they are a concern and are well documented across the world.
How do you escape?
If you have taken the time to really look at the dolphins, seals and polar bears beyond the “show,” you will likely begin to see the signs. You should start to see the marks on the dolphins' bodies. These are rake marks, scars left from aggressive behaviour.
Whilst aggression is a natural behaviour, the response from the dolphin on the receiving end of that aggression cannot be considered natural because natural response options are not available in captivity. There is no possibility of avoidance or escape from any unwanted attention in the restricted confines of a pen, whether it is a tank, pool or closed sandy bottom lagoon. The attacks can be relentless with nowhere to run or hide until the ‘keepers’ intervene by removing one of the individuals from that controlled dolphin pen.
So please – if you are considering buying a ticket and supporting this industry, don’t spend all your time going from one instant gratification to the next – they're all deliberately provided by the ringmaster. Those attractions and rides making it a fun day for you and your family, is a lifetime of confinement and all the problems associated with it, for these wild, sentient beings.
Please slow down and really spend some time getting to know the dolphins just as Sea World tells us to. Observe the animals after the show when they are off duty, take time to look at their bodies and behaviour. Look at their surrounds compared to yours and consider their existence beyond the facade.
Don’t they deserve that?
Learn the facts about marine mammals in captivity here:
References
*exotic animals are defined under Portfolio Committee No.4.Terms of reference as any animal that is not native and is not a stock or companion animal.
Images: Advocating Wild/L.Carter
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