Death of the Embattled Dolphin Exhibit

BALTIMORE, Md. — The National Aquarium spent five years trying to settle on a new home for its prized bottlenose dolphins. A work group of scientists, researchers, aquarium staff and board members was assembled to consider a sea of options, from building a new enclosure on the Baltimore harbor to relocating the dolphins to another facility.

Instead, the aquarium is charting a new course: creating the nation's first dolphin sanctuary.

The seaside sanctuary will house the aquarium's eight Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, who range in age from 7-year-old Bayley to 44-year-old Nani. The average life span of a dolphin is 40 to 50 years,

Wildlife advocates have hailed the decision to create a dolphin sanctuary as the the first sign that, after years of fierce protests, aquariums may finally be getting out of the captivity business.

"This spells the beginning of the end for dolphin captivity and the start of an age in which SeaWorld, the Miami Seaquarium and other marine parks reject excuses not to retire long-suffering captive dolphins—including orcas—to sanctuaries," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said.

By 2020, Baltimore's dolphins will move to a more tropical location than the mid-Atlantic can provide. A site has yet to be determined and funding must be secured, but their new home will mirror a dolphin's natural habitat of seawater filled with stimuli like aquatic plants and fish.

According to PETA, dolphins need more room to swim than they can get in captivity, since in the wild they travel miles each day, and they may develop ulcers if put in environments that lack stimulation.

"The National Aquarium's welcome move recognizes that the needs of intelligent, sensitive, far-ranging dolphins simply can't be met in captivity," Reiman said.

Public outcry in the past year has led SeaWorld to revamp its orca program and Ringling Bros. to retire elephants from its circus.

Protests over the years have been staged outside the aquarium in Baltimore as well. Reiman was among those arrested in 1994 while demonstrating about the dolphins.

“We now know more about dolphins and their care, and we believe that the National Aquarium is uniquely positioned to use that knowledge to implement positive change,” National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli said in s statement this week. “This is the right time to move forward with the dolphin sanctuary.”

According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 300 dolphins in captivity, including 100 used by the Navy, and moving eight Atlantic bottlenose dolphins from Maryland to an ocean sanctuary would be groundbreaking.

"Racanelli has done something terribly important here," Humane Society of the United States CEO/President Wayne Pacelle said, adding that the decision was "evidence that animal-based facilities and attractions are adapting to a changing cultural and scientific environment and making the physical and psychological well-being of the animals a top priority..."

In other parts of the world—such as Bangladesh and India—dolphin sanctuaries have been established to protect the creatures from the fishing industry and pollution.

Media personnel from the aquarium said that the National Aquarium was not using any other dolphin sanctuary as a model and its facility would be the first of its kind in North America.

Cost to Be Determined

The dolphin sanctuary announcement is the start of a complex endeavor, one in which "space, money, and science all must be brought to bear..." Pacelle said.

The Humane Society is well aware of the cost involved in supporting a sanctuary, supporting the $100 million Project Chimps in northern Georgia, which houses animals coming from private laboratories. It also runs a multimillion-dollar sanctuary for chimps in Liberia where the animals live on islands.

The cost of creating the dolphin sanctuary has not yet been pinpointed, according to a statement from the aquarium.

"It is too early to give a precise figure, as the cost will be very specific to the site chosen, reflecting both the price of the land as well as the design and construction expenses particular to that location," the statement says.

People can make tax-deductible donations to the National Aquarium online for the dolphin sanctuary.

Dolphins Come First

Regardless of the challenges, Pacelle said the Humane Society was pleased by the aquarium's "dolphins first" approach, putting the welfare of the animals ahead of all else.

The approach has come after a 25-year history of housing dolphins.

Baltimore's dolphin exhibit opened in 1991 on Pier Four and included dolphin shows in which the animals did tricks.

In 2011, the aquarium adopted a policy that it would not breed dolphins. According to NBC, the aquarium lost two baby dolphins and $1.9 million in revenue that year.

In 2012, the aquarium discontinued its stunt-driven dolphin shows. Instead, it rolled out "Dolphin Discovery," an educational program with mammal experts who talk about dolphin behaviors while visitors get an up-close look at the animals.

Aquarium officials say that the group of dolphins will remain connected to Baltimore digitally, through technology such as webcams or "dolphin Skype," enabling visitors to stay engaged with the dolphins despite the distance.

As the dolphins at the aquarium prepare for their move south, the public will reportedly be able to watch their transition to an outdoor tank.

“As we look at the future of the dolphins in our care," National Aquarium Board Chair Tom Robinson said, "we are working very hard to provide them the best possible place to live out their years."