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Is your vacation dolphin-safe?
By Sharon Collins
(CNN) -- Who wouldn't pass up a chance to swim with dolphins? Naomi Rose from the Humane Society of the United States says it's popular because dolphins seem so friendly -- they seem to have a perpetual smile on their faces and their gentle nature makes the idea of frolicking alongside them almost irresistible. But as those swim-with-the-dolphins adventure deals become more popular, many marine mammal experts are becoming increasingly concerned about the welfare of the animals. "The real problem isn't even so much the dolphins that are in captivity that are going to swim with you -- it's the dolphins yet to come into captivity," said Rose. "Unlike a lot of zoo animals, dolphins are still largely caught from the wild and regardless of how an adjusted dolphin fares in captivity, the capture itself is violent, traumatic and results in death more often than not." Many U.S.-based programs use dolphins born in captivity. But as the popularity grows, many unregulated dolphin captures are taking place around the world, including the Caribbean. "These are small island nations. We've got over 18 facilities that provide some of the dolphin opportunities, we've got about 6 to 8 more proposed," said Rose. "We have some of them in construction phases -- and all of them hold 6-8 dolphins on average. And the ones that are proposed are all looking to take their dolphins, to stock their facilities with dolphins from the wild." Mexico has banned the capture of native dolphins, but allows importation. The most recent controversy took place in July when Mexico imported 28 dolphins from the Solomon Islands, near Australia. They were shipped nearly halfway around the world and placed in a Cancun water park. It caused an uproar in the environmental community. Many animal rights activists feared the dolphins wouldn't survive the trip. One of those 28 dolphins has died, and another Mexican-born dolphin died in the park as well. According to the Associated Press, about 200 protesters demanded the remaining dolphins be released last weekend in Cancun. Though the deaths are unrelated, animal welfare activists predict more dolphins will die because of the trauma involved with their capture. However amusement parks and adventure tours, which offer dolphin swims, argue that animals in captivity are extremely well cared for and have longer life spans than if they lived in the wild. But regardless of the dolphins' welfare, it may become just plain "un-PC" to swim with them in the future. The AP reported that one protestor held up a sign that said, "Your tuna is dolphin-safe -- how about your vacation? Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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