Take the Pledge

There is some good reason to feel positive about the progress we’ve made for whales and dolphins.  Commercial whaling has been limited in scope since the 1980s, when the IWC implemented a ‘moratorium’ intended to allow several species to recover in numbers.  A permanent and comprehensive ban continues to elude us, but the situation is better than in the days of  unrestricted commercial whaling.  For dolphins, who don’t benefit from any form of IWC protection, a great deal of hard work by a few dedicated people has given us some reason to hope.

“We’ve gained tremendous momentum worldwide as people across the globe are realizing that dolphins do not belong in captivity, nor should they be hunted, abused or slaughtered.” Ric O’Barry

If you’ve never done so, we urge you to go now and add your name to this pledge.  Note the important second step.  Let’s help Ric get the word out to as large an audience as possible, and to strengthen this petition with as many names as he can possibly get.  This is an easy and obvious way to take a stand on this vitally important issue.  Let’s keep the momentum going.

https://dolphinproject.com/take-action/take-the-pledge-not-to-buy-a-ticket-to-a-dolphin-show/

Here are some of the things we’d like you to note about this pledge:

• It establishes that you’ve committed to never (or never again) buy a ticket to a dolphin show.
• The target of the pledge (petition) is Sponsors of Captive Dolphin Shows, as well as Politicians.
• Its rationale is that dolphins are intelligent, social and self-aware, and exhibit evidence of a highly developed emotional sense.
• It encompasses ALL types of so-called entertainment that use captive dolphins.  This includes marine parks & aquaria, swim-with-dolphin programs, cruise lines that feature stops at such attractions, and even pseudo-research facilities that charge patrons to interact with dolphins.  In short, any type of entertainment in which someone is profiting from the suffering of captive dolphins. *
• Note the hashtag #ThanksButNoTanks.  Hopefully you’ve seen this around, either on bumper stickers or in social media.

* On this note, we recommend that you extend this to your accommodations when you travel.  Stay at hotels which don’t feature captive dolphins, even if you’re not planning to buy a ticket to the show.  Use the link to CetaBase, provided on this page, to help guide you in making an ethical choice.

When raising awareness of this issue among your friends and colleagues, be kind.  Take a thoughtful, less-adversarial approach to this, whenever you can.  Most patrons of dolphin shows are people who admire these animals – they simply are unaware of all the facts.  And remember that most of us were among these people not so long ago.