The National Aquarium in Baltimore plans to create an ocean sanctuary for their colony of eight dolphins by 2020.
“We are committed to creating conditions for all of the animals in our care to thrive,” John Racanelli, CEO of the National Aquarium, said in a statement. “We have already begun imagining ways to repurpose the space the dolphins will vacate in a few years, many of which will better achieve our conservation goals.”
The news comes in contrast with SeaWorld’s belief that marine mammals born within aquariums should not simply be set free in natural waters. They wrote in a statement that their “[orcas] would not be able to handle the ocean’s man-made pollution or naturally occurring diseases,” defending the safety of their parks. “They would be sitting ducks.”
The statement was refuted by marine biologist and orca expert Dr. Naomi Rose. “The fact that [sea sanctuaries] would be a death sentence? That’s ludicrous. They have no data to support that,” Rose told The Dodo. While she agreed that orcas bred at SeaWorld would not be able to survive in a natural environment, she believes that a sea sanctuary would be the best solution for the orcas.
The National Aquarium, however, seems to have the data that SeaWorld lacks. “Emerging science and consultation with experts have convinced us that dolphins do indeed thrive when they can form social groups, have opportunities to express natural behaviors and live in a habitat as similar as possible to that for which nature so superbly designed them,” said Racanelli. The CEO added that the decision was neither the cheapest or easiest option, rather, a decision that supports their belief in what’s right for the dolphins.
Officials are currently looking into locations in Florida and the Caribbean, areas with a tropical or subtropical environment. These new homes will be protected year-round and have excellent seawater quality and appropriate water and air temperatures year-round. The aquarium initially considered renovating their existing tanks to be more naturalistic and moving the dolphins to other accredited facilities, but they concluded that an ocean sanctuary would be best.
While the estimated costs for the ocean sanctuary are still unknown, as the initial costs depend on land prices, the aquarium is seeking philanthropic support to help fundraise the project by 2020.
“Building this dolphin sanctuary is the right step to take, and now is the time to take it,” said Racanelli.
