A marine mammal park (also known as marine animal park and sometimes
oceanarium) is a
commercial theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
or
aquarium where
marine mammals such as
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...
s,
beluga whale
The beluga whale () (''Delphinapterus leucas'') is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus ''Delphinapterus''. It is also known as the ...
s and
sea lions are kept within water tanks and displayed to the public in special shows. A marine mammal park is more elaborate than a
dolphinarium, because it also features other marine mammals and offers additional
entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
attractions. It is thus seen as a combination of a public
aquarium and an
amusement park. Marine mammal parks are different from
marine parks, which include natural reserves and marine wildlife sanctuaries such as coral reefs, particularly in Australia.
History
Sea Lion Park opened in 1895 at
Coney Island in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
with an aquatic show featuring 40
sea lions. It closed in 1903.
The second marine mammal park, then called an
oceanarium, was established in
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabi ...
in 1938. It was initially a large water tank used to exhibit marine mammals for filming underwater movies, and only became later a public attraction. Today
Marineland of Florida claims to be "the world's first oceanarium".
In November 1961,
Marineland of the Pacific on the
Palos Verdes Peninsula, near
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
was the first
park to display an
orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
in
captivity
Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
, although the orca died after two days.
The
Vancouver Aquarium was responsible for the second
orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
ever held alive in
captivity
Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
,
Moby Doll
Moby Doll was the first orca (killer whale) to survive in captivity for more than two days, and the second to be displayed in a public aquarium exhibit. The availability, for the first time, of a killer whale that could be studied at close quarte ...
, for 3 months in 1964.
Between the 1970s and the 1990s, technical advances and the public's increasing interest in aquatic environments prompted a shift to large marine mammal parks with cetaceans (mostly orcas and other species of dolphin) as attractions. Within this time
SeaWorld USA emerged with operations in
Orlando, Florida,
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
,
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, and
Aurora, Ohio
Aurora is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, and is co-extensive with, and formed from, the former township of Aurora, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. It is part of th ...
(which has since closed down).
List of parks
Asia
Australia
Europe
North America
South America
Criticism and animal welfare
Many
animal welfare groups, such as the
WSPA, consider keeping whales and dolphins in
captivity
Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
a form of abuse. The main argument is that whales and dolphins do not have enough
freedom of movement within their artificial environments. The existence of marine mammal parks is thus very controversially discussed.
Although sizable pools for whales and dolphins require an extraordinarily technical and financial expenditure and are usually nearly impossible to provide and maintain, many marine mammal parks endeavour to improve the conditions of captivity and attempt to engage in public education as well as scientific studies. For that purpose many marine mammal parks joined together in the "Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums", an international association dedicated to high standard of care of marine mammals. It was founded in 1987 and established offices near
Washington, DC
)
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, in 1992. One report found that there is little objective evidence to indicate that marine mammal parks furthers public knowledge.
In 2010, the practice of keeping animals in captivity as trained show performers was heavily criticized when a trainer was killed by an
orca whale at
SeaWorld Orlando in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
. Orcas attacks have been documented in the film ''
Blackfish
Blackfish is a common name for the following species of fish, dolphins, and whales:
Fish
* Alaska blackfish, (''Dallia pectoralis''), an Esocidae from Alaska, Siberia and the Bering Sea islands
* Black fish (''Carassioides acuminatus'') a cyprin ...
'', released in 2013. In 2015, the
California Coastal Commission
The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state's coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is ...
banned the breeding of captive killer whales.
Books
*Lou Jacobs, ''Wonders of an oceanarium: The story of marine life in captivity''. Golden Gate Junior Books, 1965.
*Joanne F. Oppenheim, ''Oceanarium''. Bantam Books, 1994.
*Reed M. ''Swim with Dolphins Guide: A Guide to Wild Dolphin Swims, Dolphin Swim Resorts and Dolphin Assisted Therapy'' 2012.
See also
*
List of dolphinariums
*
WSPA
References
External links
Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and AquariumsRecommended EAAM dolphin housing standards Site sur les différents orques et leur mode de reproduction évitant la consanguinité.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marine Mammal Park
Animal welfare
Aquariums
Oceanaria
Amusement parks
Animal theme parks