Dolphins Today What more Tomorrow!?!

Dolphins Today What more Tomorrow!?!

Dolphins can clearly be stated as the most popular sea creature known to man. With movie star publicity due to their friendly and playful nature, today dolphins are one of the main attractions of sea lovers. Quite sadly but now the dolphins face dangers from the their very keen observers; humans.

It is no secret that Dolphins are often mentioned in folk stories and children s bedtime books. The popularity of dolphins is now being over rated as some people wish to capture them and keep them in captivity and teach them cheap tricks for the amusement of few.

“Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from 1.2m (4ft) and 40kg (90lb) (Maui’s dolphin), up to 9.5m (30ft) and 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11short tons) (the orca or killer whale). They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetacean order, and evolved relatively recently, about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. “ – www.wikipedia.com

Dolphins have been captured for scientific research since the second world war, and it is known that the US Marines use Dolphins to mark sea mines other tasks. All scientific evidence shows that Dolphins have a much more closer bond to humans than any other animal or creature on earth. While their body temperature is 36.5 degree Celsius their social values amongst the groups and their naturally friendly attitude towards humans should be duly noted. Unfortunately within the past decade coastal swimmers and snorkelers have started reporting Dolphins attacking and behaving erratically in the presence of humans. This is natural as we are hunting and capturing Dolphins more than ever.

Maldives is one of the worlds most well known and respected dive destinations for decades. Our clean and luscious environment attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. It is my question to you would rather see a Dolphin performing tricks in a pool surrounded by hundreds of spectators or see them in pods of 15 swimming freely in the ocean?

I ask you would you prefer to see Eastern European salves performing in a Circus and forced to swim in a tank full of Piranhas? [http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/03/25/us-circus-idUSEIC57185920080325] If Dolphins can cry and feel emotions and have a smarter brain than some humans as well, would they not feel anything to be kidnapped as a baby from their parents and kept in captivity and forced to perform tricks?

When the Maldivian Cabinet decided to allow a Private company to create a “Dolphin Park” it is a sad day for nature loving conservationists and humanity itself. If it is their objective to create awareness and find greater understanding they should focus on Dolphin research in the their natural habitats. While the rest of the world is pushing towards a more natural environment observation of animals and sea creatures why should we endorse a course of action in the opposite direction? It is hard to understand the reasoning, and it should be the governments responsibility to give valid explanations for such a decision.