Dudzinski Kathleen M, Manitzas Hill Heather M
Dolphin Communication Project, Port Saint Lucie, Florida, USA.
Psychology, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Zoo Biol. 2025 May-Jun;44(3):211-220. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21900. Epub 2025 Apr 1.
This essay briefly presents the perspectives of multiple stakeholders regarding the care of captive marine mammals. Based on extant literature and professional experiences, the expectations, biases, and obstacles are described for the following perspectives: facilities, staff, guests, activists, scientists, third-party accreditations, governmental agencies, and marine mammals. All identified human stakeholders advocate for the animals, but the stakeholders have differing perspectives. The purpose of the article is to identify areas of impasse and areas of overlap to identify possible compromises to move toward a less contentious dichotomy. A summary of a recent case study involving the recently deceased killer whale, Tokitae, in managed care for 50+ years and the late-life transfer planned to return her to the Pacific Northwest provides an opportunity to illustrate the roles of each stakeholder involved. Also, several other cetacean examples are briefly summarized to illustrate the differing perspectives. Ultimately, compromises may be difficult given the disparate values and mindsets of the stakeholders. It seems that science should be allowed to weigh into this debate rather than allowing media attention, half-truths, and emotional appeals to govern policy and business models.
本文简要介绍了多个利益相关者对圈养海洋哺乳动物护理的看法。基于现有文献和专业经验，描述了以下各方的期望、偏见和障碍：设施、工作人员、游客、动物保护主义者、科学家、第三方认证机构、政府机构以及海洋哺乳动物。所有确定的人类利益相关者都主张保护这些动物，但各方观点存在差异。本文旨在找出僵局领域和重叠领域，以确定可能的妥协方案，从而朝着争议较小的二分法迈进。最近一个涉及虎鲸“托基塔伊”的案例研究总结，它在人工饲养环境中生活了50多年后死亡，原计划在其晚年将它转移回太平洋西北部，这为说明每个利益相关者所扮演的角色提供了一个机会。此外，还简要总结了其他几个鲸类动物的例子，以说明不同的观点。最终，鉴于利益相关者的价值观和思维方式各不相同，达成妥协可能会很困难。似乎应该让科学参与这场辩论，而不是让媒体关注、半真半假的信息和情感诉求来主导政策和商业模式。
