Questions marine mammal captivity businesses do not want you to ask yourself:

 

Is your freedom important to you? 
Captivity robs intelligent, sentient animals like dolphins and orcas of

everything that is natural to them, including living in family pods and the

ability to swim up to 100 miles a day. These unfortunate beings live in the 

equivalent of a watery jail cell, unleashed only to perform menial tricks, pose for 

photographs, 

 

How about your life span?
In captivity, orcas live approximately half their average life span. Their annual

rate of death increases 2.5 times inside SeaWorld’s glass cages. From

septicemia to fungal infections to pneumonia to cerebral hemorrhage to

heart failure, SeaWorld’s orcas have demonstrated a clear failure to thrive in

the “entertainment industry”. 

 

In the event that an animal lives longer in a tank than in captivity. A further question to ask yourself is: how long would you want to live in jail if you had no hope of parole? Would you rather live to 70, 80, or 100? 

What about human lives?
To date FOUR human deaths have occurred as a result of interactions with SeaWorld’s orca population as well as over 100 other documented violent interactions between humans and orcas. In the wild, not a single incidence has ever been documented of an orca killing a human being.
 

How about the health of the animals or your own safety?
In March 2013, SeaWorld was cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for several violations of the Animal Welfare Act including the use of expired surgical materials, some almost a decade old, and a performance tank in disrepair, including containing cracked and crumbling concrete and rusty beams that could pose a threat to the health and safety of both the animals and workers.

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Dolphinariums and other marine parks care solely about their bottom line. 

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Dolphins in captivity frequently experience overexposure to the sun due to lack of tank depths, which can result in sunburn and blistering. Tanks are also often heavily chlorinated, burning the eyes of dolphins and causing permanent damage to eyesight. 

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In some facilities, the water is improperly treated and maintained, with litter from park customers thrown into tanks, or bacterial growths which lead to lesions and open sores. 

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Dolphins who participate in "swim with" interactions are regularly observed with wounds and abrasions from being handled by customers, their beaks raw from pushing guests through the water or being grasped for kisses and photo ops. Other wounds are observed as the result of aggressive outbursts from tank companions, as bullying has been regularly documented. Dolphin and whales in captivity are often documented with compromised teeth, often the result of frustrated chewing on their tank walls. 

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In their orca counterparts, confinement in small tanks leads to the well-documented “fin flop” in male orcas, a condition noted in 100% of captive male orcas and 0% in wild male orcas. 

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Don't believe their lies. Captivity isn't conservation, and it does not take the health and well-being of dolphins, orcas, and other marine mammals into consideration.