From: mrstyler@yabbs
To: all@yabbs
Subject: dolphins
Date: Thu Jul 21 20:23:38 1994

HI, as a lot of you know, i'm very much a dolphin lover.  
I do have a strong interest in preseving and caring for
wildlife.  My passion is centered around anti-captivity of
whales and dolphins.  This passion stems from several experiences.
after going to sea world a couple of years ago i was completely
repulsed by the condition some of the dolphins were kept in.
im refering especially to the tank where people could feed the 
dolphins.  the tank was only around 6ft deep and there were about 
7 dolphins in it, the tank was about the size of a small swimming
pool.  after such an experience, i got to see dolphins in the wild
and this experience moved me very much.  This is when i realized 
these dolphins were the lucky ones and no dolphin should have
to be kept in a tank.  For over a year now i have been doing 
light research on dolphin captivity discovering many things that
have disgusted me.

here are some statistics and information that most people do not
know:
     mortality rate for bottlenose dolphin in captivity   50%
     (after 2 years)

     from 1972-1982 647 dolphins were captured, by 1984 only
     293 were still alive

     it is estimated that 1/3 of all dolphins captured in the 
     1980's are dead as well as those born in captivity

     many dolphins in the wild may live to be 40 years old but
     captive dolphins die on an average of under 10 years old

     dolphins in captivity have been known to commit suicide
     they have been known to slamm their heads against the side
     of the pool and voluntarily stop breathing

     **this is taken from the book INTO THE BLUE by virginia mckenna

i will probably have a lot more to say about this in the future
if u have an interest please share it with me!

                              mrs. t