By: Arielle Choy

When asked about animal abuse, most people usually picture a hungry or maltreated stray. We don’t picture a whale doing spins in a pool or a dolphin jumping through hoops held out by a trainer. Despite thousands of people flocking to marine parks every day, many fail to see the abuse and misery faced by these animals while being made to work for the profit of humans.

Earth Island Institute Philippines is an organization dedicated to fight for the freedom and welfare of captive dolphins and whales. Back in 2015, I visited their office and was able to interview their campaign officer, Mr. Karl Ramirez. In the hour we spent together, I learned many things about the effects of captivity on marine creatures and what we as the public can do to help.

Perhaps what left the biggest impact on me during that afternoon was the story of Tonka who was dubbed as the “last false killer whale” in the Philippines. In 2002, there were originally six false killer whales imported from China. Throughout the years, all of them perished successively while in captivity, leaving Tonka alone. After more than ten years in captivity, in 2014, Tonka too passed away due to a bowel disorder. He was only eighteen years old. Tonka’s and the other false killer whales’ deaths were very problematic because in the wild, false killer whales typically live up to sixty years of age.

The main reason why animals in captivity live shorter lives is because of the living conditions they endure when they are being held captive. Instead of swimming long distances every day like they do when they are in the wild, captive animals only have their cages to swim around in. They are also often forced to train for shows. If these animals don’t cooperate, they are not given food by their trainers. Since dolphins and whales are very intelligent and social, they do not do well when confined alone in small cages. Due to intense boredom and frustration, these animals often develop problems with their mental health that make them not only a danger to themselves but also to other animals and humans. There has been cases wherein because of the immense emotional stress they feel, these animals start exhibiting unusual behavior - some of them even lose the will to live and try to take their own lives such as in the case of a SeaWorld orca named Morgan whose suicide attempt was captured on video by tourists.

Because of demand from marine parks, the numbers of dolphins and whales in the wild is slowly dwindling. Something Earth Island Institute is trying to raise awareness is the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. As part of their yearly tradition, fishermen in Taiji would force migrating dolphins into coves where they would select the best to send to marine parks. The rest of the animals who weren’t chosen would then be slaughtered and sold for meat. By educating people about the abuse these animals face, Earth Island Philippines hopes to make more people aware about the truth behind captive marine animals. It is essential that the public should know about these animals’ situation before it is too late. We should start asking ourselves the important questions of what matters more - the entertainment and profit for humans or the lives of these animals? I believe that if people refuse to stand up for the rights of these animals, there will surely come a day when dolphins and whales will no longer roam the oceans. Surely, that is something that we never want to happen.

SOURCES

“Blamed for Whale Death, Marine Park Cries Foul.”Inquirer News, 19 Sept. 2014,

newsinfo.inquirer.net/639033/blamed-for-whale-death-marine-park-cries-foul.

“Exposed: A Veterinarian Visits SeaWorld.” SeaWorld of Hurt, 21 Oct. 2014, www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/veterinarian-visits-seaworld/.

“Frequently Asked Questions about Captivity.”WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation,

uk.whales.org/faqs/captivity#n8111.

“Marine animals in captivity.”World Animal Protection USA,

www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/our-work/animals-wild/marine-animals-captivity.

Ramirez, Karl. Personal interview. 5 October 2015.

“Taiji Facts/Frequently Asked Questions.”Dolphin Project,

dolphinproject.com/campaigns/save-japan-dolphins/frequently-asked-questions/.