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Ethics-Sociology-Philosophy

Delphinariums : game over ?

ByDecember 8th, 2022January 4th, 2023No Comments

Document type : podcast of La Terre au Carré  episode broadcast on France Inter on December 8, 2022 (53 min)

Authors: Mathieu Vidard, Valérie Ayestaray, Chantal Le Montagner, Anna Massardier, Lucie Sarfaty, Thierry Dupin, Camille Crosnier. Guests: Guillaume Meurisse, Christine GrandJean, Olivier Adam

Preview : Killer whales and dolphins are species with considerable cognitive abilities. Orcas, in particular, develop strong social bonds and form pods, groups within which they deploy strategies to attack their prey. In captivity in dolphinariums, orcas must cohabit with other animals that they did not choose to live with. The exceptional abilities of these cetaceans make training easier. Dolphins can travel more than 100km in a single day, but when they are confined to tanks, it is impossible for them to satisfy the natural expression of their behaviours. One year ago, in a political climate of growing criticism of the keeping of captive cetaceans, a law was passed in France that will. from 2026, ban displays in dolphinariums along with the reproduction of cetaceans in captivity.
France has two aquatic parks that continue to operate, with 21 dolphins and 4 orcas kept in captivity. These are Planète sauvage in Port-Saint-Père, near Nantes, housing 9 dolphins in a small tank, and a dolphinarium  in Antibes, where there are still 12 dolphins and 4 orcas. But although dolphinariums are soon to disappear from France, they are becoming ever more popular in China, India, Spain, and in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Recently, 24 dolphins from SeaWorld in America have been sent to Abu Dhabi in conditions that are terrible for what is the largest three-level dolphinarium ever built.
As our relationship with the animal world changes, can we still accept the captivity of these animals? Might these cetaceans be placed in "sanctuaries", locations that would allow them to return to the sea? But, then, would they be able to  adapt to a different environment after so many years in captivity?
Delphinarium Game Over is the title of a documentary [...] co-authored by Guillaume Meurice. [...] He set out to explore the possible alternatives for these cetaceans after their entire lives have been spent in Plexiglas tanks,  talking to scientists, societies and groups, and politicians, in order to gain an understanding of this decisive turning point in our relationship with animals and of the obstacles still to be overcome.

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