Lucid Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Marineland's Last Dolphin Dies http://www.stuff.co.nz/4689041a7693.html Mystic remembers patting and feeding Kelly and Shona many years ago. Had the chance to swim with them but she chose not too (something to do with deep water) Poor things - R.I.P - in Fishy Heaven. Lucid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 I wonder what the future holds for marineland now, if any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefish Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 I'm sad to hear this too, a couple of years ago i also patted and fed Kelly. It was an awesome experience! I think they'd be best to stay as a rehab facility, having behind the scenes tours. Cos i can't understand how the dolphins enjoy jumping out of the water for a crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 i swam with them, years ago, very cool experience. 1995~ish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I saw her in June, she looked pretty happy she rang her bell until everyone went over to take photos then she soaked the crowd :lol: really impressive animal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindy500 Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 why dont they get more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I would prefer that Marineland get at least another 2 more dolphins as it makes dolphins more reachable to the general public. who can afford to pay nearly 100 dollars to go out on a boat to see pods of dolphins and even then there is no guarantee that you will see one. Stupid people and their high horses are what stopped marineland from getting more dolphins. Having dolphins in captivity aids with the understanding of dolphins as you can organise school trips to go see them with little costs... try organising a school trip to go out on a boat, and see how much that is going to cost each child. Gets me so mad when stupid little people say "no to captivity"... Kelly lived to 38.. and that is very old in dolphin terms.. you don't get to that age in the wild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I agree with Wok on this one.. Yes wild animals shouldn't be caged for our pleasure, but these were great for conservation and teaching people about them. If you have been to one of their shows they are not forced to do flips etc for the croud it is one of the first things they say. Dolphins do all those behaviours naturally, we were lucky enough to see some dolphins over here the other day doing flips etc heaps of people chucked on gear and swum out to play with them. My wife and I were there about 2 years ago and talking to the staff about it and they said they had put alot of work into getting captive bred dolphins (bred for places like marine land) into nz but they weren't allowed to. It is a very sad time for marine land, I hope it doesn't end up being the places demise and having a heap of rescue animals struggling to be fed and needing to be rehomed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 That is such crap. Spending your life in captivity when you were born to be free. Wow. Hey, guys, why dont we just lock you up for your whole life and watch you guys do flips and tricks - would you like that? You don't need the live animals to promote conservation. You just need the right people telling the information. Zoo's are one thing for animals if they have the right amount of space, but having a dolphin in a relatively small sized pool is balls. You guys are the ones that harp on about needing the right amount of space for the fish to swim in and be happy. If we were to do that for dolphins it would have to be a pretty big tank, as it is theyre in a goldfish bowl and suffering for it. So its people like YOU that help animal cruelty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 I was a voluntare at marineland and the national aquarium. Kelly was thirty eight when she passed and wild dolphins live on average to around 20. The workers at marineland got paid crap and were mostly voluntares. They save thousands of sea birds every year and they are the only ones with the appropriate facilities to do so. Other aquariums still catch wildlife out of the sea, with no complaints, but marineland isnt allowed to get captive bred dolphins? :-? People do not respond to pictures as they do to real animals children will remember the dolphins at marine land forever but not a picture. I have never met people so passionate about animal welfare as the people working at the national aquarium and marineland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 That is such crap. Spending your life in captivity when you were born to be free. Wow. Hey, guys, why dont we just lock you up for your whole life and watch you guys do flips and tricks - would you like that? You don't need the live animals to promote conservation. You just need the right people telling the information. Zoo's are one thing for animals if they have the right amount of space, but having a dolphin in a relatively small sized pool is balls. You guys are the ones that harp on about needing the right amount of space for the fish to swim in and be happy. If we were to do that for dolphins it would have to be a pretty big tank, as it is theyre in a goldfish bowl and suffering for it. So its people like YOU that help animal cruelty To me there is nothing wrong with getting some captive bred dolphins to promote conservation of a very endangered animal. The captive bred dolphins cannot be released in the wild as they wont have the instints etc to survive. I think if the dolphins at marine land were unhappy or suffering they would be showing signs of stress and not showing off jumping and having fun and outliving ones in the wild.. To me it is no different to keeping tropical fish (which some people argue that it is cruel as well) they were captive bred and some of them are endangered in the wild.. To me if a child or anyone see's these animals and gets amazed by them it is one more person who may be likely to want to help them in the wild, then its a good thing. I guess the cruelty to animal thing is very easy to jump on and get all up at arms about and throwing accusations around but at the end of the day it is all up what you interpret as good or bad.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 I hope you don't keep fish FeedingFrenzy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 That is such crap. Spending your life in captivity when you were born to be free. Haha, And you keep tropical fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 A little different. The fish I own were born in captivity. The dolphins were caught from their natural habitat and then spent their life in captivity. I have no problem with things being born in captivity staying there as they don't have the ability to hunt and protect themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 To me there is nothing wrong with getting some captive bred dolphins to promote conservation of a very endangered animal. The captive bred dolphins cannot be released in the wild as they wont have the instints etc to survive. I think if the dolphins at marine land were unhappy or suffering they would be showing signs of stress and not showing off jumping and having fun and outliving ones in the wild.. They get trained to jump and do things like that, everything in captivity lives longer than in the wild, its due to sustained diet and living conditions. But yeah, I have no problem with the captive bred dolphins, just the ones like the marineland ones were, caught and taken from their natural habitat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 A little different. The fish I own were born in captivity. The dolphins were caught from their natural habitat and then spent their life in captivity. I have no problem with things being born in captivity staying there as they don't have the ability to hunt and protect themselves. You sure you dont have any wildcaught fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Yeah captive bred is alright, I thought their initial ones were rescued from the wild when they were brought in injured? But not to sure on that, I certainly wouldn't be keen on them going out and harvesting wild dolphins.. Yes they do get trained to do their natural things on que however its not like they're in they're going to force them to do it.. It is stated at the beginning of the show that the dolphins have off days and sometimes don't do any tricks if they don't feel like it and thats that.. Anyway it is a sad day and I think very sad they are unable to get anymore dolphins, and hope the future is still good for marine land and its other residents. They get trained to jump and do things like that, everything in captivity lives longer than in the wild, its due to sustained diet and living conditions. But yeah, I have no problem with the captive bred dolphins, just the ones like the marineland ones were, caught and taken from their natural habitat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted September 14, 2008 Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 also need to rember that these animals where caught over 30 years ago, this is when Lion and tigers where kept in tiny cadges where they paced everyday back and forth. So animal rites where not really as they are today. After an animal has been kept for a few years in captivity or even a few weeks, it is hard to be able to release them back into the wild. They come reliant on us to feed and care for them. I could admit they are sometimes kept in minimum legal/moral conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afrikan Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Kelly was extremely old when she passed on, I belonged to the Marineland Club when I was very young, under 10.. it was fantastic to belong to and as children we learnt so much about the marine life and got to swim with the Dolphins etc.. Kelly exceeded well past her lifespan for a dolphin and she was always close by when her trainers and the workers were there... often throwing in extra little stunts and tricks because she enjoyed herself so much. Surely if she was that depressed she wouldn't have kept such excellent health over the years and exceeded well the past the life expectancy? Marineland has done some fantastic work with animals that have come in injured or animals that could not manage to survive out in their natural habitat.. I think some people are mistaken and compare Marineland to these places overseas that keep these overly large Orca in these tiny little pool tanks... Now that to me is over the top... Dolphins thrive and love human interaction... and even tho I am not a fan of keeping mammals of any sort in such a confined area, I can honestly say, being from Napier and seeing over the years... those Dolphins certainly were well cared for and thrived on entertaining and their care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I'm with FeedingFrenzy on this one because I have heard from two reliable sources that these facilities are well well below par on an international level and the reason they cannot get more dolphins is because people from overseas with the ability to sell or send them dolphins are unwilling to do so. A tetra in a 4 foot tank comparatively would be like a dolphin in an olympic-sized swimming pool. sounds like marineland did a top job with what they had though. and also $100 is not that much to go see dolphins playing in their world. I did this in Fiji and it was much cheaper (bout $50) and involved a snorkle of a real reef too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Kelly exceeded well past her lifespan for a dolphin and she was always close by when her trainers and the workers were there... often throwing in extra little stunts and tricks because she enjoyed herself so much. Surely if she was that depressed she wouldn't have kept such excellent health over the years and exceeded well the past the life expectancy? she was obviously happy and content then, if she was a fish in a tank and lived past her average lifespan the fishkeeper would probably get a pat on the back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I agree completely. If an animal in captivity is happy and healthy then its keeper/captor is obviously doing the right things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freakyfish Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I havent seen this dolphin enclosure but its still sad to hear they died FreedingFrenzy You say U dont mind them keeping Captive breed animals and its the same with your fish But you do realise they came from Wild Caught dont you? Plus they arnt taught to jump and flip they are just taught when to do it How do you if given the choice they would prefer captivity or freedom? Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I'm pretty sure all the ones I have were bred in the captivity opposed to being caught. Bred in captivity I have no problem with - if you release them they have no survival skills. Being caught is taking them from one environment to another which is more than likely sub-par to what they're used to. As for the dolphin being happy and living longer, that's great, and its well documented and proven that animals will live a lot longer in captivity than in the wild, regardless of the quality of life. I just think that you shouldn't take something from the wild unless you are saving them from something or can provide a much better environment for them... Which, is unlikely to happen for dolphins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I agree that the dolphins should be given the right facilities to live in. I never really understood why they couldn't build a big tank (net) in the ocean, and have the dolphins live in the ocean at night and when they're not on show. Marine world is right next to the sea, and I'm sure there's a way they would be able to provide a good environment 1/2 in the ocean, 1/2 in full captivity. Sure, it might cost more, but it would be better for them in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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