Montini: Readers condemn (or not) the Valley’s Guantanamo for dolphins

There were a few less than charitable comments.

Like the gentleman (I’ll spare his name) who wrote: “Figures that a liberal (expletive) like Montini likes dolphins better than he likes humans. Well, I like them better than ONE human – Montini.”

I accept his judgement.

Likewise, I am perhaps less fond of the owners and operators of Dolphinaris, a concrete and water Guantanamo being constructed just east of Scottsdale on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, than I am of the dolphin detainees.

All of them innocent.

The Mexico-based company behind this atrocity is looking for patrons to pay from around $50 to $175 each to interact in pools with dolphins. The facility is supposed to open sometime this summer.

I’ve written about it several times, including for this Sunday’s Arizona Republic.

There may be no legal way to stop it, but I have no problem urging people not to go there.

Not everyone agrees.

Reader Jeff Runkle, for example, wrote, “First off, I'm neither for nor against the new facility, but I have no interest in going there. It just seems these days, no matter what a person or business wants to do that's a bit different, half the people will be against it. Maybe it is a prison. The Baltimore Aquarium, which is a beautiful place says, ‘We now know more about dolphins and their care...’ but doesn't that apply to most of the ‘prisoners’ at their facility? We now know more about our pets, too. Does that mean Fido is in jail because he can't go out of the yard? I don't know.”

Fido – or, in my house, Jack and Minnie – are domesticated animals. Thousands of generations having lived with humans.

Not so with dolphins, who are smart, social animals with a brain power second to our own. And who live, happily, naturally, in the open ocean.

Reader Chris Ballard wondered, “I’m trying to understand the difference between having dolphins in a tank or penned animals at the zoo they are all in captivity for the public’s viewing pleasure.”

Another reader, Steff Mueller answered those who made similar arguments, saying, “The difference between zoos and this exhibit is most zoos have a license to practice conservation efforts for critically endangered species. They are usually 501c non-profits and the ticket sales support the animals and pay employees. The dolphin encounter is charging large amounts of money to swim with them and force these animals to interact with people they may not want to for the sake of entertaining and making money only.”

Another reader, a PhD from Arizona State University worries that the dolphins will be susceptible to Valley fever.

And there was reader Dot Jones who spoke for many others, “As I say whenever I sign an animal rights petition: ANIMAL CRUELTY IN THE NAME OF ENTERTAINMENT (OR SCIENCE) IS STILL ANIMAL CRUELTY.”