Captive bred or wild dolphins

[pmdc5696]

Does anyone know if the dolphins at Chankanaab are captive born or wild born? we would be interested in any info anyone may have one whether they are well cared for as ambassadors or a type of 'roadside show'.

[bruce-r]

all of them were captured from the wild. :mad:

[pmdc5696]

That sure makes a difference in our plans. I refuse to support anyone, place or company that does that. My teenagers are even more adament that they don't even want to go into the park now. Guess it will be Playa Palancar with a snorkel trip.

[gottago2mexico]

Mexico banned the capture of wild dolphins from its waters in 2002, and banned the import of wild dolphins captured in other waters in January of 2006.

 

At least some of the dolphins at Chankanaab are from the facility in Puerto Aventuras (very near) where they have a very successful breeding program. Some I don't know about, so may or may not have been caught prior to the ban coming into place.

[pmdc5696]

Thanks for your response. I am glad to hear that Mexico has banned it. I think we will still choose Palancar. My teenagers are pretty clear that they want nothing to do with it if there is any possibility. I am greatful they have they have this level of conviction.

[CaribQween]

Thanks for your response. I am glad to hear that Mexico has banned it. I think we will still choose Palancar. My teenagers are pretty clear that they want nothing to do with it if there is any possibility. I am greatful they have they have this level of conviction.

 

First of all, let me say that I know absolutely nothing about the Chankanaab facility. And I very much appreciate your kids' concerns. I had the same concerns when we considered doing a dolphin swim in Tortola. I am a huge animal lover and did not want to do anything that would contribute to the mistreatment of any living creature. I would just recommend that you do a lot of research on that specific facility before making a final decision one way or another. Remember that there are animals that are rescued that cannot be put back into the wild and it may not be a situation where they were captured only for the purpose of putting them on display and using them as an attraction. Or even if it was originally, they may not be able to be put back into the wild now.

 

The reason I say to make sure you have all the facts before making a final decision is because I don't want you all to miss out on something that may be one of the most amazing experiences of your lives. We did do the Dolphin Swim Adventure at Dolphin Discovery in Tortola earlier this year and it was truly one of the best experiences of my life. It was absolutely amazing. The facility was very nice. The area the dolphins were in was a part of the ocean that was divided off. The dolphins were treated very well. The trainer we worked with had a very apparent, deep love and concern for the dolphins. Our dolphin's name was Hercules and he was just so precious. There were about 10 of us that were taken about waist deep into the water on a sort of ledge. The trainer started off very slowly by explaining certain things to us and then taking the Dolphin down the row of people to let us touch him and get us used to being close to him. He went through the hand signals we were going to use during the swim to "kiss", "dance", and actually do a "belly swim" with the dolphin. The belly swim was where you go out in the water and the dolphin swims out and around up under your arm on its back and you grab onto its fins and it pulls you belly to belly across the water. The facility has people taking both photos and video the whole time and at the end you have the opportunity to view and purchase them if you desire. Of course, we did. These are priceless to me. I can watch the video and looking at the look on my own face, I see the small child I see in my parent's home movies from when I was a kid. I'm literally shaking with joy and you can see the anticipation as they are moving down the line and Hercules is getting closer to me for the first time. When we got back from our cruise, I couldn't tell people about the experience without crying. I swear, if you and your kids are the animal lovers you seem to be from your question, as long as the facility is a good one, it may be the experience of a lifetime for all of you and it would be especially special to do as a family. My husband had said repeatedly ahead of time that he was looking forward to doing it, more than anything, just to see the look on my face. He loved it more than he ever imagined, but he still says that the best moment was seeing my face. Seeing the look on your kids' faces might be the best moment for you. We have a photo of Hercules kissing my husband sitting out in our family room and it is just truly amazing to look at every time I walk by it.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you're doing anything bad by having these considerations, because I'm overjoyed to know that you and your children have such a huge place in your heart for these animals. I just wanted to let you know what the experience meant to me and let you consider that in your decision. Good luck.

[pmdc5696]

This issue has been very thought provoking in my home. I don't think there is a clear answer to the issue. I am not blind to the fact that there is, more than likely no possiblity that the dolphins would be safe to be released and I also don't believe it is possible to get an answer from the facility. I have been considering taking the girls for the simple fact that the intimacy of the experience will reenforce their convictions for ecology and the protection of the the worlds wild places, including our oceans. But then again we are vacationing on what was just rated as one of the biggest polluters in the industry. :confused: