NZ Government committed to banning captive dolphin facilities
Aug 30, 2010
© WSPA
The New Zealand Government does not support keeping dolphins in captivity and is committed to changing the country’s legislation to ban dolphinariums.
Although it is illegal to catch dolphins in New Zealand waters it is still legal, under certain circumstances, to import them and keep them in captive facilities.
New Zealand’s Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) allows the taking and holding, importing into and exporting from New Zealand of marine mammals if the Minister of Conservation approves and grants a permit.
Conservation Minister, Hon Kate Wilkinson, stated in a letter to WSPA recently that the Government was in favour of bringing the MMPA into line with the Department’s Conservation General Policy 4.4k which states:
Whales and dolphins should not be brought into or bred in captivity in New Zealand or exported to be held in captivity, except where this is essential for the conservation management of the species.
In her letter, the Minister also stated that a change to the MMPA to prohibit the holding of dolphins for public display would be considered as part of any wider review of the Act.
WSPA’s New Zealand Country Manager, Bridget Vercoe, says this is fantastic news for dolphins both here and overseas. Many countries around the world already have legislation prohibiting the taking, holding, importing and exporting of dolphins. Adding New Zealand’s name to this growing list will help strengthen public and government opposition worldwide to this cruel practice.
“We hope to capitalise on the support we’ve had from the current Minister and will continue to campaign for a review of the Act under the current government administration, to ensure that the commitment to this issue is enshrined in national legislation,” she says.
Dolphins, unlike some other wild species, do not adapt well to a life of captivity. Alarmingly, half of the world’s captive dolphins die due to the cruelty of their capture and confinement, with intestinal disease, chlorine poisoning and stress-related illness among the causes of death.
As Bridget says, dolphins’ intelligence matches that of the great apes and human toddlers – they are self-aware and capable of abstract thinking. They have strong, complex friendships and family ties, and need to search for live prey, socialise, rest and play as a cohesive group.
Forced to live in artificial and cramped conditions, these wide-ranging, social animals are stripped of every normal facet of their lives.