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Mr Jairam Ramesh
Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Environment and Forests
C-1/9, Lodhi Gardens
Rajesh Pilot Marg
New Delhi - 110003, India
Cc: Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil; Dr. Manmohan Singh; Mr. M.B. Lal, Ministry
of Environment and Fisheries; Director, Central Marine Fisheries Research
Institute; Member Secretary, Central Zoo Authority.
28th June 2010
Dear Minister
We, the undersigned marine mammal researchers, scientists and authors
are writing to the Government of India and the Central Zoo Authority to
raise our concerns regarding the increasing number of proposals to establish
captive dolphin facilities in India. We would like to request a ban on
the keeping of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in zoos, circuses
and dolphinaria in India, due to the inherent unsuitability of these animals
for the captive environment. The only captive cetaceans to have been displayed
in India died within only a few months of their arrival in the country.
The Government therefore has the perfect opportunity to implement a ban
on the keeping of these animals in captivity before others suffer a similar
fate.
The information below details our full concerns regarding the significant
impact that capture from the wild and confinement in captivity has on
the conservation and welfare of these specialised marine mammals.
Capture of wild cetaceans
Many whales and dolphins are still captured from wild populations to sustain
the demand for these animals from the captivity industry for public display
and activities such as swimming with dolphins in its aquaria, dolphinaria
and zoos and to supplement the losses caused by the premature deaths of
these animals in captivity. As reported in the IUCN's Conservation Action
Plan for the World's Cetaceans[1], "[r]emoval of live cetaceans from
the wild, for captive display and/or research, is equivalent to incidental
or deliberate killing, as the animals brought into captivity (or killed
during capture operations) are no longer available to help maintain their
populations. When unmanaged and undertaken without a rigorous program
of research and monitoring, live-capture can become a serious threat to
local cetacean populations." It goes on to note that live-capture
activities involving bottlenose dolphins and other cetaceans have taken
place in various countries in recent years "without adequate assessment
of the wild populations and with little or no public disclosure of the
numbers taken."
As the current worldwide captive population of cetaceans remains unsustainable
we are very concerned that the establishment of a live dolphin display
in India would lead to dolphins being captured from the wild, with unknown
consequences for the population from which they are removed. Any individuals
captured would then be forced to suffer the effects of confinement in
captivity.
Currently, captures of wild dolphins take place in Japanese, Solomon Islands,
Cuba and Russian Federation waters. These captures are of serious concern
to the scientific community and none of these countries are in a position
to make non-detriment findings for the export of captured animals, as
required by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species. In one such case involving a dolphinarium proposed at the Delhi
Zoo, reports suggest there may be attempts to acquire Ganges River dolphins
for captive display. River dolphins are notoriously difficult to keep
in captivity. Reports suggest that of more than 100 Amazon River dolphins
taken into captivity since 1965, the vast majority of individuals died
within months of removal from the wild. Today, as far as we are aware,
only five wild-caught Amazon River dolphins remain in captivity. Similar
efforts to capture and breed China's Yangtze River dolphin (also known
as the Baiji) have also failed. The Baiji is now believed to be extinct
in the wild and there are no Baiji alive in captivity. We implore you
not to aid the destruction of wild dolphin populations around the world
and instead invest in ways which protect and promote these specialised
marine mammals in their natural environments.
Other countries, including Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica and Croatia have
recently taken steps to safeguard the future of cetaceans threatened by
live captures and confinement in captivity by implementing prohibitions
on capture, trade and captivity of these animals. We believe these are
the right steps to take to conserve and protect the world's whales and
dolphins and that the Indian authorities will be greatly praised throughout
the conservation and scientific community for implementing such protective
measures.
Captivity
Cetaceans in general do not survive well in captivity. Confinement in
captivity can seriously compromise the welfare and survival of all types
of cetacean by altering their behaviour and causing extreme distress.
In the wild they can travel 40 to 100 kilometres a day, they have intricate
social structures and are highly intelligent. Some species have been found
to have developed 'culture', in the passing down through the generations
of specialised behaviour and adaptations to their environment. However,
in captivity they are forced into relative idleness in an artificial environment
where their behaviour is controlled and subdued by humans. They are made
to interact with species and individuals they would normally avoid in
the wild which can cause stress, discomfort, induce ulcers and other illnesses,
boredom, a weakened immune system and premature death. It can also provoke
aggression between them, often leading to injuries and death. Such displays
of aggression may also occur between dolphins and human visitors or trainers.
The captive environment cannot accommodate the mental, physical and social
needs of these animals and also fails to demonstrate their natural behaviour,
complex lives, and the natural environment they are designed to inhabit.
Despite the so called comforts of captivity, in the food and medical care
provided, many captives die long before their wild counterparts. A study
was undertaken by the International Marine Mammal Association in 1997[2]
to compare the survival rates of captive and free-ranging cetaceans. This
study revealed that the annual survival rate for free-ranging bottlenose
dolphins was higher than that derived for captives. Other species such
as orcas (killer whales) and river dolphins fare even less well in captivity.
In March 1998, a dolphinarium, Dolphin City, opened in India, near Chennai,
with dolphins imported from Bulgaria. Only a few months after their arrival
at the facility, all three dolphins had died. Immediately following the
death of the third dolphin, the dolphinarium applied for another permit
to import five more dolphins to replace the dead animals. The permit was
refused.
Alternatives to live dolphin displays
We hope that the proposed captive dolphin displays (currently being proposed
in Delhi Zoo, an oceanarium in Kochi and an ex-racecourse in Mumbai) will
consider alternative displays to keeping dolphins in captivity. Mirpur
Zoo in Bangladesh has recently cancelled plans for a "Dolphin Corner"
after being presented with the overwhelming evidence that captive dolphin
displays are detrimental to the conservation and welfare of the cetaceans
they hold and also the wild populations targeted by captures for such
displays. There are many advances in viewing dolphins in the wild through
responsible whale and dolphin watching and some amazing alternatives for
learning about these fascinating animals. These include hi-tech cinemas
and education centres using live video footage, under-water microphones
(hydrophones), full-scale models of whales and dolphins and animatronics,
which will all live on as an educational legacy without threatening the
lives of whales and dolphins.
We respectfully ask you to consider the above information with reference
to continued proposals to establish captive dolphin facilities in India.
We further encourage you to consider implementing a ban on the construction
of any new dolphinaria in India and to ban the capture and import of live
cetaceans into India.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like further information.
Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
Cathy Williamson, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, on behalf of:
[list of sign-ons: names and affiliations]
________________________________________
[1] Reeves, R.R., Smith B.D., Crespo, E.A. and Notarbartolo di Sciara,
G. (compilers). 2003. Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises: 2002-2010 Conservation
Action Plan for the World's Cetaceans. IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist Group.
IUCN. Gland. Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. P.17
[2] Woodley, T.H., Hannah, J.L. and Lavigne, D.M. 1997. A Comparison of
Survival Rates for Captive and Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus), Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) and
Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas). IMMA Technical Report 97-02. International
Marine Mammal Association Inc., Ontario.
Cathy Williamson
Captivity Programme Manager
WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
WDCS
Brookfield House
38 St Paul Street
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN15 1LJ
T: 01249 449 523
F: 01249 449 501
http://www.wdcs.org
WDCS is the global voice for the protection of whales, dolphins and their
environment.
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