However, as Smith states, dolphins, whales and seals can be be viewed in the wild at a number of places on the Australian coast.

Moreover, dolphin and whale biology changes in marine park conditions.

Furthermore, we should be promoting our beautiful natural environment to tourists and not the ugly concrete marine park venues.

Tourists come here to see our native wildlife in its natural environment and not to see it in cages and cement pools.

In addition, marine mammals in dolphin parks are trained and this means that their patterns of social behavior are changed.

In fact, there are more places where they can be seen in the wild than places where they can be seen in captivity.

In addition, places where there are wild marine mammals do not charge an exorbitant entry fee - they are free.

Surveys of overseas tourists show that they come here for a variety of other reasons and not to visit places like Seaworld (The Age, Good Weekend 16.8.93).

Therefore research undertaken at marine parks is generally not reliable.

However, foreign tourists would still come to Australia if the parks were closed down.

They can usually see animals in those conditions in their own countries.

However, as Jones (1991) explains, park research is only useful for understanding captive animals and is not useful for learning about animals in the wild.

Their diets are different, they have significantly lower life spans and they are more prone to disease.

Moreover, most Australians would have to travel less to get to these locations than they would to get to the marine parks on the Gold Coast.