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The issue of whether we should allow marine
parks to stay open has been widely debated in our
community recently. It is an important issue
because it concerns fundamental moral and economic
questions about the way we use our native wildlife.
A variety of different arguments have been put
forward about this issue. This essay will consider
arguments for having marine parks and point to some
of the problems with these views. It will then put
forward reasons for the introduction of laws which
prohibit these unnecessary and cruel
institutions.
It has been argued
that dolphin parks provide the only
opportunity for much of the public to see marine
mammals (Smith, 1992). Most Australians,
so this argument
goes, live in cities and never get to
see these animals. It is
claimed that marine parks allow the
average Australian to appreciate our marine
wildlife. However, as
Smith states,
dolphins, whales and seals can be viewed
in the wild at a number of places on the Australian
coast. In fact,
there are more places where they can be seen in the
wild than places where they can be seen in
captivity.
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.
In addition,
places where there are wild marine mammals do not
charge an exorbitant entry fee - they are free.
Dr. Alison Lane, the director of the Cairns
Marine Science Institute,
contends that
we need marine parks for scientific research (The
Age, 19.2.93). She argues
that much of our knowledge of marine
mammals comes from studies which were undertaken at
marine parks. The knowledge which is obtained at
marine parks, so this
argument goes, can be useful for
planning for the conservation of marine mammal
species. 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. Dolphin and whale biology
changes in marine park conditions. Their diets are
different, they have significantly lower life spans
and they are more prone to disease.
In addition,
marine mammals in dolphin parks are trained and
this means that their patterns of social behavior
are changed. Therefore research undertaken at
marine parks is generally not reliable.
It is the contention
of the Marine Park Owners Association
that marine
parks attract a lot of foreign tourists (The
Sun-Herald 12.4.93). This
position goes on to assert that these
tourists spend a lot of money, increasing our
foreign exchange earnings and assisting our
national balance of payments.
However,
foreign tourists would still come to Australia if
the parks were closed down.
Indeed, 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).
Tourists come here to see our native wildlife in
its natural environment and not to see it in cages
and cement pools. They can see animals in those
condition in their own countries
Furthermore, we
should be promoting our beautiful natural
environment to tourists and not the ugly concrete
marine park venues.
Dolphin parks are unnecessary and cruel. The
dolphins and whales in these parks are kept in very
small, cramped ponds, whereas in the wild they are
used to roaming long distances across the seas.
Furthermore,
the concrete walls of the pools interfere with the
animals' sonar systems of communication.
In addition,
keeping them in pools is a terrible restriction of
the freedom of fellow creatures who may have very
high levels of intelligence and a sophisticated
language ability.
Moreover, there
are many documented cases of marine mammals helping
humans who are in danger at sea or helping
fisherman with their work.
In
conclusion, these parks should be
closed, or at the very least, no new animals should
be captured for marine parks in the future. Our
society is no longer prepared to tolerate
unnecessary cruelty to animals for science and
entertainment. If we continue with our past crimes
against these creatures we will be remembered as
cruel and inhuman by the generations of the
future.
Bibliography
The Age, 19.2.93
The Age Good Weekend, 16.8.93
Jones, G. (1991). The Myths about Animal Research
in Marine Parks. In Scientific Australian.
Vol. 12, No 3.
Smith, H. (1992). Marine Parks: Good for Business,
Good for Australia. In Leisure Business
Review. Vol. 24, No. 4
The Sun-Herald, 12.4.93 |
