Texas State Aquarium Planned Expansion Includes Feeding and Petting Dolphins

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Texas State Aquarium Planned Expansion Includes Feeding and Petting Dolphins

 

 

 

Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas plans to add an $11.5 million

dolphin exhibit to its eight-year-old facility. The two-level exhibit will

consist of an outdoor pool, a tiered spectator seating, and an underwater

viewing area. The exhibit will not have the dolphins performing but visitors

will be able to touch and feed the dolphins from the edge of the pool. This

expansion will move the aquarium away from its original mission that

included education and the rehabilitation of injured mammals to one of

public entertainment.

 

Please contact the Texas State Aquarium and express your disapproval of its

proposal to add a captive dolphin exhibit. Write:

 

Mr. Tom Schmid, Executive Director

Texas State Aquarium

2710 North Shore

Corpus Christi, TX 78402

Fax 512-881-3732

tschmid

 

Points you may include in your letter:

 

There are many risks concerning the plan to use dolphins as a hands-on

educational exhibit for the public. Physical injuries to humans, such as

lacerations and infections, have been well documented in petting area

settings. These injuries are usually not a result of purposeful dolphin

aggression towards humans per se, but an expression of a natural feeding

behavior.

The well-being of the dolphins in the proposed petting area is also an issue

that needs to be addressed. Disease caused by contaminated fish, and

nutrition problems such as obesity and malnutrition, are common problems

that exist in any facility where dolphins are housed and fed. The ingestion

of foreign objects is also a concern that can cause medical problems and

even death. In addition to these health problems, the psychological

well-being of the animal is also at stake. Interaction with humans can cause

the animal undue stress, making the animal more likely to act aggressively

toward other dolphins in the pool.

Petting pools promote and reinforce a dangerous public misconception that it

is appropriate to feed and interact physically with dolphins. People who

participate in dolphin interactions in the aquarium are likely to see no

harm in joining in the growing number of wild dolphin interaction programs

if they feel it is acceptable to feed and touch dolphins at the petting

pools. Studies have concluded that feeding wild dolphins alters their

natural behavior in ways that are harmful to individual marine mammals and

marine mammal stocks.

The Texas State Aquarium is to be commended for the school educational

programs and the public broadcasting television programs. Encourage it to

continue that strong marine educational program at the aquarium with

activities that are attractive to young people. Young visitors will make

frequent visits if they unwittingly learning about marine life through

videos, interactive games, recorded marine mammal sounds, and robotic

versions of marine mammals.

 

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