Family Travel Forum helps to answer your questions about swimming with dolphins.

Feeding and swimming with dolphins is a harmless encounter between two curious but well-intentioned species, right?

Well, for several years, the consensus in the U.S. Office of Protected Resources (301/713- 2289) has stated that wild dolphins should not be fed, swam with or even observed from any closer than 50 yards in their natural habitat. According to the OPR, "Dolphins are hunters, not beggars... but when people offer them food, dolphins, like most animals, take the easy way out. They learn to beg for a living, lose their fear of humans, and do dangerous things.

Some unintended and dangerous side effects of humans feeding wild dolphins include:

• Dolphins injured by swimming too close to churning outboard motor propellers
• Dolphins losing their natural wariness, making them easy targets of human or shark attacks. 
• Incidents of dolphins biting their feeders
• Mother dolphins competing with their offspring for handouts instead of teaching them the all-important survival technique of foraging.

"Interactions with people change the behavior of dolphins for the worse," continues the OPR report. "They learn to associate people with food and get entangled with fishing hooks and lines and die. They get sick from eating bait and people food like beer, pretzels, candy and hot dogs."

Because of these consequences, it is against the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to feed or harass wild dolphins. "Dolphin scientists have proof of injuries," states the OPR. "Feeding wild dolphins disrupts their social groups which threatens their ability to survive in the wild." Specifically, the MMPA prohibits any "taking" of marine mammals, the term "taking" being defined as harassing, hunting, capturing, killing, feeding, or attempting any of these means of interaction with wild marine life.

Swim-with-the-Dolphin Programs

Despite the MMPA, wild dolphins are still being captured worldwide for human purposes.  With the growing popularity of "swim-with-the-dolphin" (SWTD) programs at resorts, more dolphins are being captured, and harmed in the process.  The stress of transportation can be fatal, as can separating pods, the dolphin family groups which are often life-long.  If they survive capture, mortality rates for orcas are three times that of their wild counterparts, and bottlenose dolphins face a six-fold increase in risk of mortality immediately after capture.  Even in the US, which has some of the strongest animal welfare laws, there are few requirements on dolphin enclosement size, nutrition, and veterinary care; plus, capturing wild dolphins is not illegal in the US. It is only in a few progressive European countries (including Italy and the UK), where SWTD programs have been largely outlawed.  Regulations in the Caribbean are rarest of all.

You should also beware of SWTD programs hold dolphins in sea pen enclosures, which are no better than pools. They are dangerous for the dolphins, particularly susceptible to damage during tsunamis and hurricanes, and also destroy coastal reefs and habitats.

A Possible Educational Encounter

Fortunately, interaction with dolphins in captivity can be a positive learning experience for both species, with little negative consequence for captive-born dolphins who have already learned dependence on humanity for their welfare.  These programs, designed for ages 4 and up, can be well-monitored, educational, and fun for people eager to interact with this intelligent and fun-loving species.  Even well-trained dolphins are still wild animals, so always be careful and follow trainer instructions exactly.

What You Can Do to Ensure Safety

According to The Humane Society of the United States, there are a few things that can be done while participating in a SWTD that can ensure the safety of these creatures.

Insist that only captive-born bottlenose dolphins be used, to end the captures of wild dolphins to stock present and future programs. The large number of bottlenose dolphins in captivity, many of whom are used in breeding programs, means that capture from the wild can and should be eliminated.

• Check safety records for dolphins and humans.
• Demand adequate care and conditions for the dolphins, including feeding them restaurant-quality fish and requiring large pool size.
• Insist on the provision of refuge areas, where dolphins can go at will if they do not want to interact with people
• Insist on limited working hours for the dolphins
• Demand low swimmer-to-dolphin ratios (no more than two persons per dolphin)

Be careful not to be fooled. Though many aquariums claim that their dolphin exhibits are in line with conservation efforts and scientific research, only 5-10% of zoos are involved in substantial conservation efforts. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and help keep this smart and beautiful animal safe.