The Texas State Aquarium, in Corpus Christie, Texas, is
organizing plans to build a new dolphin tank. Ultimately, if these plans
are not halted, hundreds of wild dolphins will be forced to meet their
premature deaths, caged in a glass prison, for no other reason than mere
human entertainment.
In the wild, dolphins travel in pods that range in size
from three to ten individuals to groups of literally hundreds. By
nature, dolphins are very social animals. To rob the group of even one
of its members is to disrupt the lives of the entire family. Many
dolphins die from shock and pneumonia upon their capture. Those who
survive the kidnapping attempt become so frenzied that they may even
attempt to save their stolen friend(s). Pregnant females have even been
known to spontaneously abort fetuses as a result of this powerful
ordeal.
When free, dolphins are known to swim up to 100 miles
per day. In confinement, most dolphins are given only a mere 24x24x6
foot container. Sonar waves, which help dolphins to navigate in the
wild, often end up driving them insane in these aquariums. The constant
reverberation of the sonar off the aquarium walls creates a never-ending
torture chamber for these serene, peaceful creatures.
As if this were not bad enough, mans' attempts to
maintain a sanitary environment for the dolphins often ends up being
extremely detrimental to their health. The tanks in aquariums are
sanitized with chlorine, copper sulfate, and other harsh chemicals.
These toxic ingredients irritate the dolphins' eyes so badly that many
will swim with their eyes closed. There have been documented cases of
aquariums with such high levels of chlorine that the dolphins have gone
blind.
In order for these wild, free-spirited creatures to
learn the tricks expected of them in their new "homes," they are more
often than not deprived of food and/or companionship. The constant
torment becomes so unbearable that some dolphins have even committed
suicide. For these highly social animals, isolation is pure mental
anguish. Jacques Cousteau and his son, Jean-Michel, completely severed
all ties with the marine capture industry when they personally witnessed
one captive dolphin kill himself by intentionally colliding his body
into his prison tank, over and over.
In the wild, dolphins can live anywhere between 25 and
50 years. If life in captivity is as wonderful and serene as the
aquariums would have us believe, why is it that more than fifty percent
of imprisoned dolphins die within their first two years in captivity and
all others live an average of only six years?! After all, there is no
pollution in the tanks and there are no natural predators in the
aquariums. The fact of the matter is, aquariums are prisons which hand
out death sentences to their inmates. The crime? Being a beautiful
creature.
The dolphins desperately need your help! For the last
four months "Voice for Animals" activists have been demonstrating
outside of the Texas State Aquarium in protest of the plans for the new
dolphin tank. To date, more than 100 Texans have rallied together in
order to speak for the dolphins. "Voice for Animals" are now calling on
all of our Texan subscribers to join them in yet another protest on
Saturday, November 20 at 12:00 noon in front of the Texas State
Aquarium, located in Corpus Christie, Texas. Please join them.
For further information, please contact:
Voice for Animals
P.O. Box 120095
San Antonio, TX 78212-9295
Tel: + 1 (210) 737 3138
Fax: + 1 (210) 737 6041
Email: don@express-news.net
http://www.connecti.com/~voice/voice.htm
Go on to Sounds of
a Battery Hen
Return to 10 November 1999 Issue
Return to Newsletters
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your
own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner.
