Time and time again, captive dolphin venues, like Gulf World Marine Park, continue to demonstrate their lack of care for dolphins and whales.
Earlier this month, three captive dolphins known as Turk, Gus, and Nate, died while living at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. They were 15, 14, and 20 years old. Bottlenose dolphins typically live at least 40-60 years in the wild.
Reports currently state the dolphins died due to the venue’s crippling infrastructure. Their tank walls failed to protect them from deadly airborne pathogens caused by nearby construction.
Time and time again, captive dolphin venues, like Gulf World Marine Park, continue to demonstrate their lack of care for dolphins and whales. Gulf World Marine Park is owned by the Dolphin Company, the same company that owns the infamous Miami Seaquarium. More than 117 dolphins and whales, including Tokitae the orca, have died at the venue, so sadly the deaths of Turk, Gus, and Nate are not surprising.
Following the news, World Animal Protection’s Wildlife Campaign Manager, Nicole Barrantes, said in a statement:
“The tragic deaths of Gus, Turk, and Nate underscore the urgent need for marine parks to close their doors for good. Marine mammals and other wildlife deserve to live in the open ocean where they can experience freedom, family bonds, and the natural world. Confining them for profit is an indefensible act of cruelty that has no place in our society. The time has come to end this exploitation once and for all.”
In captivity, dolphins endure endless cruelty. They are often forced to:
- Live in pools 200,000 times smaller than their natural habitat
- Interact with tourists for swimming with dolphin experiences and selfies
- Work 10-12 hour days performing in shows, usually in hot weather
- Breed and then are traumatically separated from their calves at a very young age
Since 2019, World Animal Protection US has been protesting to shut down Miami Seaquarium. Miami-Dade County has committed to closing the venue, but the Dolphin Company is pushing back and refusing its eviction.
You can help us. Send an email to Eduardo Albor, CEO of the Dolphin Company, and urge him to shutter Miami Seaquarium and send its animals to sanctuaries and other venues where they will receive better care.