Conservation and Biodiversity
6 Reasons Whales and Dolphins Should Not Be Held in Captivity
July 11, 2025
In 2021, France made headlines by banning cetacean captivity and marine life performances. Though this is a step in the right direction, four years later two orcas, Wikie and her 11 year old son Keijo, along with 12 bottlenose dolphins, remain trapped in deteriorating, algae-filled tanks at Marineland in Antibes in the South of France.
Despite the park’s closure to the public, these animals are still confined, isolated, stressed, and vulnerable. With recent orca deaths already devastating this already small group, the time for action is now. As their health and lives hang in the balance, it’s time to confront a harsh truth: whales and dolphins cannot thrive in captivity.
Here are six clear reasons why they should never be held in tanks:
1) Big Brains, Small Tanks
If brain size was the ultimate IQ test, whales would outsmart humans by far. Though size of an animal’s brain does not directly correlate to intelligence, whales possess one of the largest and most sophisticated brains in the animal kingdom.
Whales are cultural creatures and social learners with unique dialects, greeting ceremonies, and hunting strategies passed down through generations. They form close family bonds, tend to injured pod mates, and even show signs of profound grief. These are intelligent, emotional, socially complex mammals that deserve our respect and our compassion.
None of their brilliance thrives behind glass. When in captivity, whales have been found to suffer mentally through stress, boredom and lack of mental stimulation- as their tanks are sterile and empty. They often present this stress by constantly gnawing on the side of their tanks as well as the metal bars and grates that trap them which often leads to serious dental issues and pain.
Neuroscientist Dr. Lori Marino states that orcas’ “intelligence” can be a liability as they cope with life in an artificial habitat. In other words, the very intelligence that makes whales so extraordinary also makes them more vulnerable to psychological breakdown when their needs are denied.
2) Tanks Can’t Hold Wild Instincts
In the open ocean, whales can swim up to 100 miles per day, dive hundreds of feet, and reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour. In captivity, they’re lucky to swim in a straight line for a few seconds before hitting a wall, let alone reach the high speeds and distances their bodies are made to travel.
Whales that would naturally venture across vast seascapes are left floating, circling, or lying still out of boredom. Hand fed by humans, they are denied the chance to hunt, forage, and explore. There is no current to follow, no depth to dive, and no real space to roam. In captivity, their natural instincts are suppressed and the world becomes shallow—literally and figuratively.
3) Marine Captivity Tear Families Apart
In the wild, whales and dolphins don’t just survive in groups, they thrive in close-knit communities. Dolphins live in pods of up to 30 and form strong ties. Orcas stay even closer to their family units, as sons and daughters remain with their mothers for life.
From hunting and playing, to raising their young and protecting one another, their social connections are everything. Whales don’t just coexist with each other, they pick favorites. Scientists have observed whales forming close friendships based on age, sex, and personality. Those they swim with are not just other whales, but beings they chose and care about.
Captivity strips that connection away. Marine parks shuffle and trade whales between parks like baseball cards. Random orcas from different regions and ecotypes are crammed together. Bonds are broken, calves are separated from their mothers, and whales are denied the comfort of familiarity. With no shared language or social norms, distress is inevitable.
4) It’s Dangerous, For Whales and For Humans
When sanity slips away, peace rarely follows. Captive whales are forced into artificial social groups with nowhere to escape. Without the space to cool off or the shared communication needed to resolve disputes, aggression festers. Whales have been known to rake each other with their teeth, slam themselves into walls, and suffer open wounds and torn fins
This aggression doesn’t stop at the tank’s edge. There have been multiple cases of captive whales violently injuring or killing trainers out of stress, confusion, or frustration.
Do not get it twisted, whales are not naturally aggressive. Whales very rarely intentionally harm humans in the wild. The aggression we see in captivity isn’t their nature, but it is a reaction to their environment.
5) Shorter Lives and More Suffering
In the wild, orcas can live to their 60s and even 80s. In captivity? Many die before they reach 20. Despite claims of top-tier veterinary care and round-the-clock supervision, a peer reviewed study found that captive orcas die at 2.5 times the rate of their wild counterparts.
Why? Chronic stress.
Stress weakens the immune system, making whales much more vulnerable to disease. Tooth decay, infections, collapsed dorsal fins, ulcers, and chronic immune system issues are quite common in these concrete enclosures. Illness, compounded with the boredom and monotony of tank life makes thriving for captive whales impossible.
6) Profit, Not Preservation
Behind smiling trainers and choreographed splashes, Marine Parks sell entertainment disguised as education. Touch tanks, ‘swim with dolphins’ programs, and orca performances may seem harmless or educational, but they invade the already limited world of aquatic animals.
Captive whales and dolphins are trained to perform tricks that have no relevance to their natural behavior or educate in any meaningful way. Whether it be waving, jumping through hoops, or ‘kissing’ audience members, these actions are not rewarded because they help the animals, but because they amuse paying customers and earn the whales food.
Real conservation happens in the wild, through habitat protection, rehabilitation programs, and research. Captivity serves human curiosity and corporate profit, not the whales or the dolphins.
Wikie’s brother, Inouk, and firstborn son, Moana, have already died in the last 18 months. We cannot let Wikie, Keijo, and the other dolphins suffer the same fate. Join EARTHDAY.ORG and send a letter now to urge President Macron to take immediate action and give these whales a better life they desperately deserve.
William Shatner has already joined the campaign to save these animals. You can watch his full statement here. Please repost and share his message far and wide and let Wikie and Keijo, and the 12 bottle nose dolphins, know that we have not forgotten their plight. Want to act? Send a letter to President Macron and urge him to save these animals.
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