Mexico has long been one of the countries with the highest number of dolphins kept in captivity, primarily in marine parks and tourist facilities. In recent years, however, growing public concern and political debate have led to regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening animal welfare standards and reducing the exploitation of marine mammals for entertainment.

According to recent updates, discussions are underway regarding the transfer of dolphins from existing facilities to alternative environments, including the possibility of establishing or using coastal sanctuaries designed to provide more natural living conditions. While details on timelines and logistical arrangements remain under evaluation, the reported movement signals a shift in how marine mammals are managed within the country.

The issue of dolphins in captivity remains highly debated worldwide. Scientific research has long highlighted the complex social structures, cognitive capacities and spatial needs of cetaceans, raising concerns about confinement in artificial environments. Several countries have already adopted restrictions or bans on breeding, performances or new captivity permits, reflecting a broader global reassessment of the ethics of marine mammal entertainment.

OIPA ETS has long been active on this front through its Aquarius and Dolphinariums campaigns, which focus on the protection of aquatic animals and the progressive phase-out of captivity practices affecting dolphins, sea lions and other species. Through these initiatives, OIPA promotes science-based welfare standards, public awareness, and policy reform aimed at ending the exploitation of cetaceans for commercial entertainment.

As part of its advocacy, OIPA encourages citizens to take concrete action:

• Do not visit aquariums or dolphinariums, and avoid bringing children to facilities where marine mammals are kept for shows. Such venues confine highly intelligent animals to artificial spaces that do not meet their natural needs and may cause chronic stress and suffering.
• Choose cruelty-free and educational alternatives to learn about marine life. Documentaries, books and scientific publications offer valuable insights without supporting captivity. Observing marine ecosystems responsibly in the wild, when possible, also allows people to appreciate sea life in its natural environment.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Those who wish to support OIPA’s advocacy work against the exploitation of dolphins in aquariums and dolphinariums can contribute by making a donation to OIPA International and indicating the reference “Donation OIPA – Stop Dolphin Captivity”,  specifying the amount.

L'articolo Towards the End of Dolphin Shows? Mexico Approaches a 2026 Legislative Turning Point proviene da OIPA.

The tourist report as follows:

<<…visiting  the aquarium I came across a really horrible  situations to watch. Giant Groupers and Pink flamingos were kept in restricted places. The thing that really shocked me was to see in a small swimmingpool with shallow waters (few centimeters) many sharks. It was very painful for me and for my daughters to see such a majestic animals reduced to immobility because of the very limited space and very low water level. No one deserves this, they are innocent animals.>>

Obviously, these animals cannot be kept in this little tank, this is a mistreatment and they shouldn’t be manipulate and pet by people and visitors. Sharks are wild animals and deserve a better life, deserve to be free in the Oceans and not abused this way.

Read more about OIPA actions and dolphinariums HERE

OIPA asked to local authorities to check Curaçao Sea Aquarium and to move these sharks to a better place.

• SUPPORT OIPA ACTIVITIES, CONTRIBUTE
• READ MORE ABOUT DOLPHINARIUMS, CLICK HERE
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• BOYCOTT DOLPHINARIUMS AND SHARE THE IMAGE BELOW “THANKS BUT NO TANKS”

L'articolo CURAÇAO SEA AQUARIUM, SHARKS KEPT IN FEW CENTIMETERS OF WATER proviene da OIPA.

In late September, the nonprofit advocacy group, Animal Rights Hawaii, filmed a container holding the dolphins inside of a FedEx cargo warehouse at the Honolulu Airport. Based on the flight itinerary, the captive dolphins were likely stored inside of the shipping crate for at least 12 hours. Dolphin Quest, a swim-with-dolphins company with two locations, one in Hawaii and one in Bermuda, provided the Arizona Attraction with the dolphins.

“I’ve been with these animals since they were born,” Michelle Campbell, Dolphin Quest’s vice president of animals, told Hawaii News Now. “They’re second-generation dolphins under our care and no one cares more about them than we do.”

However, according to Alexis Thomas, who took the video footage of the dolphins says that they were showing signs of stress.

Dolphins are wildlife species, therefore they will be always distressed and mistreaten living in dolphinariums, read more here about dolphins free in their natural habitats, CLICK HERE.

“The Dolphin Quest trainers were consoling the animal, who seemed to be in obvious distress, likely from the confinement of the box that it was in, of course, all of the noises that were happening, the fear of the unknown,” she told Hawaii News Now. On the flight to Arizona, the dolphins were likely “bombarded with foreign sounds, sensations, changing air pressure during flights and are known to vocalize and thrash out in fear,” Lisa Arnseth, co-founder of Dolphin Free Arizona said.

This scary experience of on-flight travel did not end upon their arrival in Arizona the next morning. The three captive dolphins are now forced to swim with tourists in the interactive “Dolphin Swim Experience” at Dolphinaris Arizona.

The Dolphinaris Arizona website claims to carry on education, conservation and research projects. OIPA beleives that keeping those animals in tanks, in captivity, forced to interact with humans for many hours and perform unnatural behaviours, has nothing to do with research, conservation and neither education.

OIPA promotes and supports conservation projects which study the animals leaving them free and not in captivity, and which create sanctuaries and protected areas for them.

This is the first Dolphinaris tourist attraction in the U.S. The attraction habitat reaches summer temperatures of up to 40 degrees celsius and although the Dolphinaris Arizona website claims that there is sufficient shade over the habitat, the desert sun beats over it which is unhealthy and unnatural for the animals.

Additionally, allowing people to swim with dolphins has been proven to have a negative impact on these animals. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, this is extremely stressful for the animals which caused behavioral abnormalities, illness, lowered resistance to disease and even death.

Once Dolphinaris Arizona had announced their plans to open their attraction in Scottsdale, animal lovers and organizations began to protest.

OIPA started an international appeal to Dolphinaris Company to protest against this new dolphinarium opening.

It is not acceptable that in 2016 is still possible to open facilities which exploit precious and protected animals with the only purpose of raising money, while covering their activities behind the education, conservation and research flag.

Dolphins belong to the oceans, not to the tanks of dolphinariums.

STOP EXPLOITING ANIMALS!

L'articolo NEW DOLPHINARIUM OPENED IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA: SEND A LETTER OF PROTEST! proviene da OIPA.

OIPA campaigns against the practice of keeping them in captivity, where they often develop pathologies. Although dolphins generally interact well with humans, some attacks have occurred, most of them resulting in small injuries. Many researchers agree that dolphins are extremely social creatures and actually depend on this interaction for hunting, mating and defending themselves and their pods.

Typically, dolphins live and travel in groups ranging from 2-40 dolphins. But scientists have found dolphin pods as large as several hundred members. These groups are actually called herds or schools. In some cases, these larger groups have been to known to include more than one species that seem to interact well together.

Dolphins communicate with their pods and large groups usually through whistles. Many scientists and dolphin researchers believe that each individual dolphin actually has a unique whistle that identifies him to other members of his pod or group.

Dolphins in distress seem to use a special whistle that indicates help is needed. The pod or group usually responds quickly.

Noise in the oceans is a catastrophe for dolphins. They can no longer understand one another and can’t find their way around. They try to keep away from the noise and lose their feeding grounds. Sometimes dolphins remain deaf for the rest of their lives after encountering noise of this kind: their sensitive hearing is damaged forever. Unfortunately, it is usually humans responsible for the noise in the sea. Ships, military exercises, oil plants are examples of dangerous noises for dolphins.

Dolphins are also called the “Nomads of the Oceans”, because they don’t spend their entire lives in one place either. Their search for food takes them all over the oceans of the world. This means that a killer whale can be hunting for tuna fish in the Straits of Gibraltar and turn up off the coast of Ireland more than 1000 kilometres away only a few days later.

Read more about Dolphinariums and aquarius: http://www.oipainternational.org/aquarius/

BACK TO MAIN ARTICLE

L'articolo ABOUT DOLPHINS proviene da OIPA.

Dolphinariums and aquariums are always sad places for the animals, but this one in particular is a miserable tiny prison for these dolphins.

The tourist said that the animals were wounded and their skin was scratched by the nets of the enclosure, the animals hurt themselves trying to escape.

Dolphins are beautiful wild creatures born to live and swim free in the ocean. In Cayo Largo Dolphinarium they are forced to play with tourists, holding them on their snout, hold the persons with their fins and play unnatural games to entertain the public.

Why would you pay to torture an animal?

Even if dolphins look friendly with the visitors, doesn’t mean that they are happy and willing to stay in this place or to behave like they do.

Training a wild animal ALWAYS involves cruel treatments, deprivation and suffering for the animals.

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OIPA International kindly invites the visitors to stop financing this place.

OIPA is asking to the Government of Cuba to check over this place and rescue the dolphins.

SEND A LETTER OF PROTEST TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA!

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ABOUT DOLPHINS

In nature dolphins can swim deep till 200 metres, they have a very complex social life. Dolphins are a widely distributed, they are marine mammals.

OIPA campaigns against the practice of keeping them in captivity, where they often develop pathologies. Although dolphins generally interact well with humans, some attacks have occurred, most of them resulting in small injuries. Many researchers agree that dolphins are extremely social creatures and actually depend on this interaction for hunting, mating and defending themselves and their pods.

Typically, dolphins live and travel in groups ranging from 2-40 dolphins. But scientists have found dolphin pods as large as several hundred members. These groups are actually called herds or schools. In some cases, these larger groups have been to known to include more than one species that seem to interact well together.

Dolphins communicate with their pods and large groups usually through whistles. Many scientists and dolphin researchers believe that each individual dolphin actually has a unique whistle that identifies him to other members of his pod or group.

Dolphins in distress seem to use a special whistle that indicates help is needed. The pod or group usually responds quickly.

Read more about Dolphinariums and aquarius: https://www.oipainternational.org/aquarius/

L'articolo CAYO LARGO, CUBA – TWO DOLPHINS KEPT IN FEW METERS OF WATER IN THE BEACH, FORCED TO PLAY AND SWIM WITH TOURISTS – BOYCOTT THIS PLACE! proviene da OIPA.

L'articolo APPEAL TO THE FAROES AND DANISH GOVERNMENTS – STOP THE GRINDADRAP! proviene da OIPA.