Dear Mayor and Napier City Counsellors,

I oppose the keeping of dolphins in captivity and urge you to reject calls to replace Shona, the dolphin who, sadly, died at Napier Marineland recently.

Dolphins are far-ranging fast moving, deep-diving predators. In the wild they may travel hundreds of kilometers a day, reach speeds of up to 50 kilometers an hour and dive a hundred meters deep. They are highly social mammals and form close and complex relationships with their podmates.

The physical and psychological suffering of captive dolphins is immense. Even if Napier Marineland remodeled and expanded their dolphin enclosure, it would never be an adequate substitute for the ocean. More than 60 dolphins have died at Napier Marineland since it opened in 1965.

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. Many countries have banned the capture and confinement of dolphins.

It's time that New Zealand followed suit and closed the door on this unnecessary and cruel 'entertainment' industry.