Dolphin's death another wake-up call to phase out animal captivity
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Rita, a female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin at Hong Kong's Ocean Park,
has died at the age of 24 . In the wild, dolphins of her species can live over 40 years, yet Rita's premature death comes as no surprise.
Taison Chang Kai-tai , former Ocean Park employee and current chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, has exposed the suffering of dolphins imprisoned in the park: constant noise, limited food and cramped enclosures. Highly intelligent and social, dolphins in captivity often exhibit atypical or meaningless behaviours given the lack of stimulation or autonomy. These conditions contribute to their deteriorating health and shortened lifespans.
Despite the evident harm, dolphins remain in captivity because they are highly profitable crowd-pullers. Zoos and marine parks often mask this cruelty with sugar-coated narratives. Ocean Park, for instance, claimed Rita helped 'convey conservation messages' since 'students had learned about and appreciated the natural behaviour' and 'were inspired to contribute to marine conservation'.
But as naturalist Jacques Cousteau once said, 'There is about as much educational benefit to be gained from studying dolphins in captivity as there would be from studying mankind by only studying prisoners held in solitary confinement.' Cultural critic John Berger similarly noted that seeing animals in zoos is like viewing 'an image out of focus'.
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More importantly, educating the public about animals through captivity reinforces human superiority by normalising the exploitation of animals for our 'education'. This undermines true environmental education, which should cultivate care and respect for the natural world, not dominance.
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