Marine Parks: Our Best Hope
Today, we have something new, powerful and addictive: the media. And though, it shows our intelligence as the human species, it also shows our greatest downfall.
The media is extremely influential when it comes to encouraging following the crowd behaviour, usually in an emotional way. This is very prevalent in the animal industry, but especially in the marine park industry.
Conservation is something I am extremely passionate about, and zoos are a huge part of that. Marine parks are especially important when it comes to ocean conservation. And I have been lucky enough to witness killer whale (Orcinus orca) research studies in human care myself!
Studying animal care and zoo management helps gives me a more insider view that can be difficult to see otherwise, but that’s why I am here to share what I learn!
You’d be surprised to hear that a lot of misunderstood topics on marine parks are actually conservation in action, which has unfortunately been given a dark twist.
Animal Shows
I am sure a lot of us ocean lovers have seen a dolphin show in our lifetime, and boy are they just spectacular! Unfortunately, the media have labelled all animal shows as “exploitive”... but are they?
I have linked some papers below to show this, however, dolphin behaviour assessments have shown that dolphins show a willingness to volunteer to participate in shows, training and other activities and programmes on a daily basis, some behaviours suggest excitement and playfulness which is also a sign of good welfare standards. I have assessed dolphin behaviour myself at marine parks and with my knowledge and training at Sparsholt college, the dolphins and killer whales showed playful, interactive and energetic behaviours, all indicators of good health and welfare.
The animal shows at the parks I visited included sections on education and theatrical.
But what is the difference?
Theatrical shows would be animals exhibiting trained either natural or unnatural behaviours, usually with music, such as dramatic flips, or rolling over.
Educational sections would include the animal showing natural behaviour and the educator talking about the behaviour. This section of shows is usually favoured by animal activists, however, I find shows with entirely, or mostly educational to do more harm than good and here’s why: educational shows can be too boring, too repetitive and slow. Not only does this provide less energy for the animal to expel but it also doesn’t actually hook the guests to learn about and protect the animals. I personally saw guests walk out during educational sections and shows which then takes away the whole point of the show from the guest and the guest walks away no different than before.
However, with theatrical shows, the animals exhibit fast-paced, dramatic behaviours which hook and excite the crowd, sparking a new interest to learn about the animals and help protect them. This also provides more physical and mental stimulation to the animals, as it gives more behaviour options to learn and more energy to expel, meaning the animal receives more exercise.
Animal shows and interaction programmes have been in review for studies and the studies (below) show that they are beneficial and vital for conservation.
There was even a scientific research paper which measured the cortisol (stress chemical) levels in dolphins and compared the levels with and without shows, they show that shows, nor training have a negative affect on the animals. That's a far cry from the media manipulation today.
Training
Marine mammals especially have extremely problem-solving brains and although they have other stimulating activities throughout the day such as environmental enrichment devices (toys), health checkups, interactions and more, the best way for them to exercise those parts of their brains is for the animal to work out how to exhibit different behaviours for different kinds of rewards, such as food, rubdowns and more. Training sessions and shows are extremely beneficial for animals, even marine mammals like cetaceans. Those rewards also activate the animal's senses like touch and taste.
Guest programs
I have been fortunate enough to participate in guest interactions at two parks and at both parks, all the animals involved showed a willingness to participate and even signs of excitement that I saw for myself. They are also another activity for the animals to choose to participate in every day; human interaction is a form of animal enrichment as well as being extremely positive for both humans and animals. It’s amazing what one program can do to change someone's life, as it did for me. Seeing these animals’ up close helped inspire me to do what I can to help protect them and I love hearing other people’s stories about how animal programmes and shows helped them know what they want to do in life, it’s a beautiful thing.
Conservation Studies
I still love to talk about the day I was lucky enough to watch orca conservation in action.
At Marineland Cote D'Azur, I was pleased to see their youngest whale, Keijo, volunteer to participate in a research study relating to their breathing. If you think you have ever seen an animal so pampered, you‘re wrong. The four trainers were rubbing and patting Keijo in positive reinforcement from head to tail as they held the device over Keijo’s blowhole.
How incredible is that?
Marineland is able to conduct research studies by working closely and hands-on with their animals which you couldn’t do with wild animals, making them a vital key to conservation.
Unfortunately, wild populations of cetaceans all around the world, young or old, even reaching to the ice-cold Antarctica have been found with at least microplastics in their system. Some populations of orca, particularly the southern resident population are currently suffering from starvation as their prey is low in numbers due to human activity such as structures and pollution.
So, in conclusion, having these animals in human care, shows, guest interactions and more all help towards conservation in a multitude of ways; what’s not to love about marine parks?
A fascinating watch is a ted talk by Animal Welfare Expert Isabella Clegg:
OTHER GREAT SOURCES TO SEE THE IMPACT OF SOME MARINE PARKS:
PAPERS:
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