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Is it wrong to swim with dolphins? BBC

MyOwnDrum

MyOwnDrum

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BBC News - Is it wrong to swim with dolphins?

According to this article it's stressful to the dolphins to have people swim with them. Dolphins are highly intelligent, sentient beings, I really feel they deserve special consideration from humans.

Swimming with dolphins may be sold as a life-affirming experience, but research shows that it can be traumatic for the sea mammals themselves. So is it time to stop?

It regularly features as one of those transformative experiences to notch up on the "things to do before you die" bedpost - swim with dolphins and discover the very essence of life.

Many tour operators feature it in holiday packages. "You will feel completely free and at one with nature as you swim majestically along side these incredible creatures," is how one sells the experience.

But now doubt has been cast on health effects of dolphin swimming - not for humans, but the dolphins themselves.

British researchers have found that swimming close to bottlenose dolphins and trying to touch them can be highly stressful for the aquatic creatures - preventing them from resting, feeding or nurturing their young.

Lori Marino, a neuroscientist at Emory university in Atlanta, said they could suffer "psychological problems" stemming from swimming with tourists.
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I would say it's obviously wrong to harass Dolphins as is described in the story, but under better conditions there is little or no stress.
I'm sure we have all seen heart warming stories of special needs children in setting with Dolphins and these creatures more often than not make the first move as if they know what's going on.

Boats and other water craft chasing them down, then having a bunch of yahoos jumping in the water with them I'm pretty sure would have a negative affect on any creature.

Some people care only about their own momentary pleasure and it's too bad, and not just for Dolphins.

I sat if the Dolphin makes the first move enjoy the moment.
 
they're smart creatures, and im sure they realise of things get too bad, they can just bugger off under water and swim away
 
The question is, is it wrong for dolphins to swim with us?
 
I think the fact that dolphins are confined to swimming pools where the average human won't drown is more traumatizing for the dolphin than humans actually swimming with the animal.

Its like tying a cheetah's backlegs together and getting them to run with humans.
 
MyOwnDrum said:
BBC News - Is it wrong to swim with dolphins?

According to this article it's stressful to the dolphins to have people swim with them. Dolphins are highly intelligent, sentient beings, I really feel they deserve special consideration from humans.
Click to expand...

Dolphins have been known to spontaneously swim with divers in the open sea.
They are curious, sentient, intelligent beings, and often approach people who seem harmless, when they're on their home turf.

As far as keeping dolphins in captivity for any reason, however, no I do not agree with it.
If you want to swim with dolphins, learn to scuba dive and learn to be patient; eventually they'll come to you of their own initiative and free will, and I imagine that would be a far more rewarding experience anyway.
 
I think people should stop thinking it's cute to swim with sea creatures esp dolphins. Watch the documentary, "The Cove".

Also, My girlfriend was saying that more people are bitten every year by dolphins than sharks. Lol. It makes perfect sense because the media blows shark bites out of proportion. And a lot more people attempt to swim with dolphins. Also, if you've ever seen the documentary "Sharkwater", then you know more people die from soda machines than shark bites.



MyOwnDrum said:
BBC News - Is it wrong to swim with dolphins?

According to this article it's stressful to the dolphins to have people swim with them. Dolphins are highly intelligent, sentient beings, I really feel they deserve special consideration from humans.
Click to expand...
 
coffeeparty1975MA said:
I think people should stop thinking it's cute to swim with sea creatures esp dolphins. Watch the documentary, "The Cove".

Also, My girlfriend was saying that more people are bitten every year by dolphins than sharks. Lol. It makes perfect sense because the media blows shark bites out of proportion. And a lot more people attempt to swim with dolphins. Also, if you've ever seen the documentary "Sharkwater", then you know more people die from soda machines than shark bites.
Click to expand...

I recently reviewed The Cove:

http://www.debatepolitics.com/art-and-entertainment/27873-movie-review-thread-23.html#post1058618187

Excellent documentary.
First wholly positive review I've been able to give in a long time. :thumbs:
 
Dolphins like many creatures like to "play". Wild dolphins might like to play with humans swiming in the water around them, they do have the choice to leave the area
 
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