Marine Mammals in Captivity: industry support group uses survey to paint a positive picture

The value of aquariums, zoos and marine parks can be debated on many different levels. It's not a cut and dry issue; good or bad, right or wrong.  Much depends on the particular venue itself.  There can be poorly run facilities that do not provide a safe or healthy environment for the animals  - the news media is always eager to pounce on those places, as well they should. And then there are others that provide as natural of a habitat as possible and stress more of a learning experience for the visitor.  Those are the best of breed.

I have agreed with the position that a properly designed and managed facility can provide the means for the general public to see and appreciate animals that they would normally not ever see in they're day-to-day lives.  And if properly presented and supported by educational information, aquariums and zoos can enlighten the visitors as to the delicate and precarious lives these animals experience in the wild thanks to the often negative impact mankind has had on the environment.

The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums is an organization representing ocean-themed amusement parks like Sea World, UNEXSO Dolphin Experience, Georgia Aquarium, and others.  It affiliates itself with many of the professional accreditation and regulatory agencies and research organizations like the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums, but the bottom line is it is a professional organization representing a particular segment of the entertainment industry.  It's job is to collectively represent many different marine mammal venues and help put their best foot forward.

The Alliance issued a press release on Monday: "Public Confirms Overwhelming Support for Important Conservation Education Missions of Marine Parks, Aquariums, and Zoos."   It summarized the results of public polls released in 2005 and 2012 which showed great support for these venues as places where people learned to appreciate marine mammals and by extension develop a greater respect for them.

"Ninety-seven percent of people agree that marine life parks, aquariums and zoos are important because they educate children about marine mammals - animals that children might not have the opportunity to see in the wild. In addition, many continue to feel that people are more likely to be concerned about animals if they learn about them at marine life parks, aquariums and zoos. In both 2012 and 2005, 93 percent agreed with this statement."

Initially, this all seems very encouraging both for conservationists and for the parks themselves.  However, a quote by the Alliance's director caught my attention.

"People feel that being able to connect with dolphins, killer whales, beluga whales and other marine mammals in facilities is important for education and conservation," said Marilee Menard, executive director of the Alliance. "This is clear not only from the consistent support over time, as demonstrated by the two polls, but by the 45 million people who visit Alliance-accredited marine life parks, aquariums and zoos every year."

Dolphins, killer whales, and beluga whales.  Does the public fully understand the natural conditions these animals normally thrive in, particularly the dolphins and orcas (I prefer that name over killer whale) as pelagic animals that utilize echolocation and other advanced faculties of aquatic communication?

Full confession: as much as I can see value in aquariums and zoos, I am opposed to the keeping of dolphins and orcas and other whales in captivity.  No facility is capable of providing a large enough habitat where these animals can move freely and utilize the full range of their natural abilities.  For them, captivity is most stifling and there are documented cases of unnatural, dare I say neurotic, behavior in captive whales and dolphins.  I side with the position taken by Jean Michel Cousteau that these animals should not be kept in marine parks and trained to do tricks for the amusement of the crowd.

Unfortunately, these animals, who, ultimately, become simply attractions to sell tickets, are huge money makers for these parks.  So the public relations strategy to protect their cash cows focuses on admitting nothing that could be construed as negative and strengthen their position by showing that the general public is on their side - a survey.

"Additionally, the latest poll found that 89 percent agree that children learn more about marine mammals at an aquarium or zoo than in a school classroom, and 88 percent agree that you can learn about animals at marine parks in a way that can't be replicated by watching film or TV programs. Some 91 percent agree that seeing a marine mammal at these facilities fosters a connection to the animal."

That statement is more a criticism of the educational system and entertainment media than it is an endorsement of marine mammal parks.  As a media consultant, I know full well how surveys can be structured to produce the results you want.  A totally unbiased survey - even when prepared by an "independent" firm, as this one was - is indeed a rarity.  Did any of the questions mention that these marine mammals normally live in open ocean and use echolocation and other vocal sounds, which travel great distances, to communicate and establish close social bonds within groups of animals?  And that in captivity, these abilities are hampered by small enclosures that do not allow for a normal amount of movement or transmission of sounds (a bit like being in an echo chamber).  Would the survey respondents answer favorably if they were aware that those are the conditions in which these animals are confined?

No, let's not lay out the whole story.  Let's just get their reactions to seeing a whale jump through a hoop or balance a ball on its head.  Tell the ticket holders all about how amazing these animals are and convince them that their handlers care for the animals (which I actually truly believe is the case among the handlers and veterinarians involved), but dance around the fact that it is not practical or feasible to provide a natural and healthy environment for these animals.  Ask the right questions and it's easy to get people on your side.  

The Alliance's survey has one singular purpose: distraction.  It whitewashes the issue of how animals like dolphins and orcas exist in the wild by tallying up public support from a public who does not have a full picture or understanding of the situation.  Put up a good front, then let the revenue roll in.

Source: Business Wire

Willing To Go Green: study finds adults and youth ready to embrace conservation

The Ocean Project - a nonprofit network of aquariums, zoos, and other public educational institutions dedicated to advancing ocean conservation - has released a report on public attitudes regarding conservation, "going green" and the willingness of today's youth to get engaged. The results are encouraging in that it shows adults to be willing to take steps and become part of the solution and not part of the problem.

The report, America and the Ocean, is the culmination of an over two-year long study carried out in conjunction with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the National Aquarium and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is based on national surveys taken , the most recent being this past April-May, with over 12,000 Americans. Properly documented surveys are able to mathematically rate their effectiveness in representing a larger population and express it as a "level of confidence" percentage figure. According to the report, the survey research came in with a 99% level of confidence.

According to Dr. Wei Ying Wong, The Ocean Project's Communications Project Coordinator, "Americans may not be looking to make a wholesale shift to a more sustainable lifestyle, but it is clear that Americans are open to taking a few steps in a sustainable direction and interested in seeing themselves as part of the solution rather than as part of the problem."

Of particular importance were conclusions drawn regarding the attitudes of the youth and their willingness to become in engaged in conservation issues and solutions. Three core findings were:

• Adults are united in their support for teaching younger generations how to care for our blue planet, even while they themselves are divided on issues such as climate change.
• Young Americans not only possess significantly higher levels of concern about the problems facing the world's ocean, and are most open to new information, but also are the most confident in their ability to make a difference.
• Young Americans may not be the decision-makers in the household but they are increasingly major "influencers" when it comes to making choices related to our ocean and the environment and becoming more "green."

Julie Packard, executive director of Monterey Bay Aquarium, commented, "This survey has important implications for all of us working at institutions that aim to inspire our audiences and the public to protect the ocean. It points to ways in which we can be more effective. It confirms that people are eager for aquariums and zoos to take a stronger leadership role. It challenges us to provide people with practical steps that will make a difference. It confirms that, working together, we have an unprecedented opportunity to make a difference for the future of our ocean."

John Racanelli, CEO of the National Aquarium Institute, said, "Aquariums, zoos, and museums need to nurture the energy and environmental enthusiasm of our country's youth. Together we can help channel this generation's concern for the world's environment and ocean by providing hands-on opportunities, practical knowledge, and action-oriented avenues help create a new movement to inspire care for our blue planet."

In my own personal experience, I remember, several years ago when I was a dive team leader and underwater presenter at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, as presenters we were instructed to play down any references to climate change, carbon dioxide emissions, or ocean acidification. The Aquarium needed to play it safe and not offend any of their more conservative or skeptical trustees or major donors. Many of us, who had read the research and knew the facts, muttered expletives under our breath and massaged the message as much as possible to get the point across - donors be damned.

Turn the clock forward a couple of years and the Aquarium of the Pacific's big summer exhibit for 2011 is Arctic and Antarctic: Our Polar Regions in Trouble and the fall issue of its quarterly magazine distributed to all members (including those high roller donors) is devoted to "Carbon, Climate Change, and the Ocean." What a difference a few years and a little public opinion can make.

With The Ocean Project's new report in hand to show that both adults and the youth are ready and willing to embrace conservation ideals, it is critical that public science and educational facilities like aquariums and zoos step up so that the public does not have to ponder the future in a vacuum.

Read the entire report, Americans and the Ocean.