By announcing plans to move its dolphins into a protected habitat by the end of 2020, the aquarium sails into uncharted waters for the marine mammal industry. SeaWorld, which earlier this year ended its orca breeding and hinted at similar changes for its dolphins someday, has balked at similar proposals from activists who want its animals released into natural waters.
"There's no model anywhere, that we're aware of, for this," aquarium CEO John Racanelli told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of Tuesday's announcement. "We're pioneering here, and we know it's neither the easiest nor the cheapest option."
Potential sites in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean have been explored, Racanelli said.
The Atlantic bottlenose dolphins won't simply be released into open seas. The aquarium's criteria for a sanctuary include a full-time staff, "excellent water quality" in a temperate climate, isolation pools for medical care or temporary refuge from harmful conditions and barriers to stop breeding among the dolphins or mingling with wild dolphins, Racanelli said.
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1 comment:
This will lead to the end of the National Aquarium in a few years. Then we will start to see the decline of home aquariums.
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