Some of you may be aware the Vancouver Park Board is looking to ban the continued study of whales and dolphins at our marine science centre due to pressure from animal rights critics. They cite that there is no value in having whales and dolphins at a marine science facility. Below is a signed statement by preeminent research scientists from around the world who disagree.
April 8, 2016
We, the undersigned members of the scientific community, wish to acknowledge the importance of marine mammals in zoos, aquariums, and marine mammal facilities, and express our support for research conducted at these facilities. We know that critical research findings have come from studies of dolphins and related species in managed care environments, which have provided the vast majority of what is known about their perception, physiology, and cognition. This includes both basic facts about these animals (e.g., echolocation and how it works[i], diving physiology[ii], energetics[iii], gestation period[iv], hearing range[v], signature whistles[vi], and so forth) and applied information such as how they react to environmental stressors[vii] and how to diagnose and treat their diseases.[viii]
The benefits of such research extend well beyond the animals in zoological facilities. The interpretation of data from field studies is directly informed by what we have learned about the cognition and physiology of these animals in managed care settings. Moreover, because science is inherently a collaborative endeavor, research findings from these animals contribute to our collective understanding across the animal kingdom. Finally, research in managed care settings impacts conservation efforts by: (a) providing the baseline information necessary to inform conservation plans and practices (e.g., typical respiration rates, metabolic rates, gestation length, hearing range and thresholds, etc.), (b) documenting physiological and behavioral responses to environmental stressors such as sound and contaminants7 to inform population managers, and (c) developing and testing techniques and tools for assessing animals in the field.[ix]
The advances that have come from research in marine mammal facilities could not have come from studies of animals in the wild. Field studies are crucial, however, many research questions are unsuited to discovery at a distance. Studies of pregnancy, birth, and fine-scale calf development require the type of close and consistent observation that is only possible in zoological settings. The hypothesis testing required for questions about cognition, perception, and physiology requires the ability to present animals with specific situations and challenges utilizing the necessary controls, consistency, and repetition that are impossible to achieve in the wild. Indeed, as with research in any discipline, a comprehensive understanding of these animals requires a combination of both in-situ and ex-situ studies; studies based in the wild and in zoological settings. This idea is neither new nor specific to marine mammals, but is critical to the way scientific discovery works.
Sincerely,
Francisco Aboitiz, PhD, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
José Fco. Zamorano Abramson, PhD, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Michael Adkesson, DVM, Dipl ACZM, Chicago Zoological Society / Brookfield Zoo
Javier Almunia, PhD, Loro Parque Fundación
Richard Bates, PhD, University of St. Andrews
Gordon B. Bauer, PhD, New College of Florida
Don R. Bergfelt, PhD, Ross University, School of Veterinary Medicine
Gregory D. Bossart, VMD, PhD, Georgia Aquarium
Ann E. Bowles, PhD, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
David Brammer, DVM, DACLAM, University of Houston
Micah Brodsky, VMD, V.M.D. Consulting
Jason N. Bruck, PhD, University of St. Andrews, School of Biology, Sea Mammal Research Unit
Josep Call, PhD, University of St Andrews
Susan Carey, PhD, Harvard University
Tonya Clauss, DVM, Georgia Aquarium
Fernando Colmenares, PhD, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Richard C. Connor, PhD, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Boris Culik, PhD, F3
Leslie M. Dalton, DVM, SeaWorld San Antonio
Fabienne Delfour, PhD, L.E.E.C., Paris 13 University
Alistair D.M. Dove, PhD, Georgia Aquarium
Samuel Dover, DVM, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute
Kathleen M. Dudzinski, PhD, Dolphin Communication Project; Managing Editor, Aquatic Mammals Journal
Holli Eskelinen, PhD, Dolphins Plus
Andreas Fahlman, PhD, Texas A&M- Corpus Christi
Antonio Jesús Fernández Rodríguez, DVM, PhD, Veterinary School University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Vanessa Fravel, DVM, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Steven J.M. Gans, MD, St. Jansdal Hospital
Joseph Gaspard, PhD, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
William G. Gilmartin, President, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund
Heidi E. Harley, PhD, New College of Florida
Martin Haulena, DVM, MSc, DACZM, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
Basilio Valladares Hernández, PhD, Universidad de La Laguna
Susan Hespos, PhD, Northwestern University
Heather M. Hill, PhD, St. Mary’s University
Matthias Hoffmann-Kuhnt, PhD, Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore
Bradley Scott Houser, DVM, Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium
Marina Ivančić, DVM, DACVR, AquaVetRad
Kelly Jaakkola, PhD, Dolphin Research Center
Frants H. Jensen, PhD, Aarhus University
Allison B. Kaufman, PhD, University of Connecticut, Avery Point
Robin Kelleher Davis, PhD, Harvard Medical School & Schepens Eye Research Institute
Stephanie L. King, PhD, Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia
Stan Kuczaj, PhD, University of Southern Mississippi
Robert C. Lacy, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society
Jef Lamoureux, PhD, Boston College
Gregg Levine, DVM
Klaus Lucke, PhD, Centre for Marine Science & Technology, Curtin University
Heidi Lyn, PhD, University of Southern Mississippi
Radhika Makecha, PhD, Eastern Kentucky University
Katherine McHugh, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society
Eduardo Mercado III, PhD, University at Buffalo, SUNY
Lance Miller, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society / Brookfield Zoo
Paul Nachtigall, PhD, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii
Shawn R Noren, PhD, Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz
Steven Pinker, PhD, Harvard University
Stephen Raverty, DVM, PhD, University of British Columbia
Michael S. Renner, DVM, Marine Mammal Veterinary Consulting Practice
Jill Richardson, PhD, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Fernando Rosa, PhD, Universidad de La Laguna
James A. Russell, PhD, Boston College
Steve Shippee, PhD, Marine Wildlife Response
Alex Shorter, PhD, University of Michigan
Mark S. Sklansky, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Brandon Southall, PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz
Judy St. Leger, DVM, DACVP, SeaWorld
Grey Stafford, PhD, Aquatic Mammals Editorial Board
Jeffrey L. Stott, PhD, University of California, Davis
Francys Subiaul, PhD, The George Washington University
Alex Taylor, PhD, University of Auckland
Roger K. R. Thompson, PhD, Franklin & Marshall College
Walter R. Threlfall, DVM, PhD, DACT, The Ohio State University
Dietmar Todt, PhD, Free University of Berlin
Michael Tomasello, PhD, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Forrest Townsend Jr, DVM, Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
Marie Trone, PhD, Valencia College
Jennifer Vonk, PhD, Oakland University
David A. Washburn, PhD, Georgia State University
Rebecca Wells, DVM, Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
Randall Wells, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society
Nathan P. Wiederhold, Pharm.D, FCCP, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Daniel Wilkes, PhD, Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University
Clive D. L. Wynne, PhD, Arizona State University
Pamela K. Yochem, DVM, PhD, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
References
[i] e.g., Kellogg, W. N. (1958). Echo ranging in the porpoise. Science, 128, 982-988.
Norris, K. S., Prescott, J. H., Asa-Dorian, P. V., & Perkins, P. (1961). An experimental demonstration of echolocation behavior in the porpoise, Tursiops truncatus (Montague). Biological Bulletin, 120, 163-176.
Au, W. W. L. (1993). The sonar of dolphins. New York: Springer-Verlag.
[ii] e.g., Ridgway, S. H., & Howard, R. (1979). Dolphin lung collapse and intramuscular circulation during free diving: evidence from nitrogen washout. Science, 206(4423), 1182-1183.
Skrovan, R. C., Williams, T. M., Berry, P. S., Moore, P. W., & Davis, R. W. (1999). The diving physiology of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). II. Biomechanics and changes in buoyancy at depth. Journal of Experimental Biology, 202(20), 2749-2761.
Noren, S. R., Cuccurullo, V., & Williams, T. M. (2004). The development of diving bradycardia in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 174, 139-147.
[iii] e.g., Williams, T. M., Friedl, W. A., & Haun, J. E. (1993). The physiology of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Heart rate, metabolic rate and plasma lactate concentration during exercise. Journal of Experimental Biology, 179, 31-46.
Holt, M. M., Noren, D. P., Dunkin, R. C., & Williams, T. M. (2015). Vocal performance affects metabolic rate in dolphins: Implications for animals communicating in noisy environments. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 218, 1647-1654.
[iv] e.g., Essapian, F. S. (1963). Observations on abnormalities of parturition in captive bottle-nosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, and concurrent behavior of other porpoises. Journal of Mammalogy, 44, 405-414.
Cornell, L. H., Asper, E. D., Antrim, J. E., Searles, S. S., Young, W. G., & Goff, T. (1987). Progress report: Results of a long-range captive breeding program for the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops truncatus gilli. Zoo Biology, 6, 41-53.
Duffield, D. A., Odell, D. K., McBain, J. F., & Andrews, B. (1995). Killer whale (Orcinus orca) reproduction at Sea World. Zoo Biology, 14, 417-430.
[v] e.g., Hall, J. D., & Johnson, C. S. (1972). Auditory thresholds of a killer whale Orcinus orca Linnaeus. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 51(2B), 515-517.
Kellogg, W. N. (1953). Ultrasonic hearing in the porpoise, Tursiops truncatus. Journal of comparative and physiological psychology, 46, 446-450.
[vi] e.g., Caldwell, M. C., & Caldwell, D. K. (1965). Individualized whistle contours in bottle-nosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Nature, 207, 434-435.
Tyack, P. L. (1986). Whistle repertoires of two bottlenosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus: Mimicry of signature whistles? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 18, 251-257.
Janik, V. M., & Slater, P. J. B. (1998). Context-specific use suggests that bottlenose dolphin signature whistles are cohesion calls. Animal Behaviour, 56, 829-838.
[vii] e.g., Thomas, J. A., Kastelein, R. A., & Awbrey, F. T. (1990). Behavior and blood catecholamines of captive belugas during playbacks of noise from an oil drilling platform. Zoo Biology, 9, 393-402.
Ridgway, S. H., & Reddy, M. (1995). Residue levels of several organochlorines in Tursiops truncatus milk collected at varied stages of lactation. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 30, 609-614.
Reddy, M., Echols, S., Finklea, B., Busbee, D., Reif, J. S., & Ridgway, S. (1998). PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in clinically healthy Tursiops truncatus: Relationships between levels in blubber and blood. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 36, 892-903.
Houser, D. S., Yeates, L., Crocker, D. E., Martin, S. W., & Finneran, J. J. (2011). Behavioral reactions of dolphins and sea lions to sonarlike sound exposures, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 129, 2432.
[viii] e.g., Reidarson, T. H., McBain, J. F., Dalton, L. M., & Rinaldi, M. G. (1999). Diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections in marine mammals. (pp. 478-484). In M. E. Fowler & R. E. Miller (Eds.), Zoo & Wild Animal Medicine, Current Therapy 4. W.B. Saunders: Philadelphia, PA.
[ix] e.g., Finneran, J. J., Houser, D. S., Blasko, D., Hicks, C., Hudson, J., & Osborn, M. (2008). Estimating bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) hearing thresholds from single and multiple simultaneous auditory evoked potentials. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123, 542-551.
[1] e.g., Kellogg, W. N. (1958). Echo ranging in the porpoise. Science, 128, 982-988.
Norris, K. S., Prescott, J. H., Asa-Dorian, P. V., & Perkins, P. (1961). An experimental demonstration of echolocation behavior in the porpoise, Tursiops truncatus (Montague). Biological Bulletin, 120, 163-176.
Au, W. W. L. (1993). The sonar of dolphins. New York: Springer-Verlag.
[1] e.g., Ridgway, S. H., & Howard, R. (1979). Dolphin lung collapse and intramuscular circulation during free diving: evidence from nitrogen washout. Science, 206(4423), 1182-1183.
Skrovan, R. C., Williams, T. M., Berry, P. S., Moore, P. W., & Davis, R. W. (1999). The diving physiology of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). II. Biomechanics and changes in buoyancy at depth. Journal of Experimental Biology, 202(20), 2749-2761.
Noren, S. R., Cuccurullo, V., & Williams, T. M. (2004). The development of diving bradycardia in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 174, 139-147.
[1] e.g., Williams, T. M., Friedl, W. A., & Haun, J. E. (1993). The physiology of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Heart rate, metabolic rate and plasma lactate concentration during exercise. Journal of Experimental Biology, 179, 31-46.
Holt, M. M., Noren, D. P., Dunkin, R. C., & Williams, T. M. (2015). Vocal performance affects metabolic rate in dolphins: Implications for animals communicating in noisy environments. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 218, 1647-1654.
[1] e.g., Essapian, F. S. (1963). Observations on abnormalities of parturition in captive bottle-nosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, and concurrent behavior of other porpoises. Journal of Mammalogy, 44, 405-414.
Cornell, L. H., Asper, E. D., Antrim, J. E., Searles, S. S., Young, W. G., & Goff, T. (1987). Progress report: Results of a long-range captive breeding program for the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops truncatus gilli. Zoo Biology, 6, 41-53.
Duffield, D. A., Odell, D. K., McBain, J. F., & Andrews, B. (1995). Killer whale (Orcinus orca) reproduction at Sea World. Zoo Biology, 14, 417-430.
[1] e.g., Hall, J. D., & Johnson, C. S. (1972). Auditory thresholds of a killer whale Orcinus orca Linnaeus. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 51(2B), 515-517.
Kellogg, W. N. (1953). Ultrasonic hearing in the porpoise, Tursiops truncatus. Journal of comparative and physiological psychology, 46, 446-450.
[1] e.g., Caldwell, M. C., & Caldwell, D. K. (1965). Individualized whistle contours in bottle-nosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Nature, 207, 434-435.
Tyack, P. L. (1986). Whistle repertoires of two bottlenosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus: Mimicry of signature whistles? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 18, 251-257.
Janik, V. M., & Slater, P. J. B. (1998). Context-specific use suggests that bottlenose dolphin signature whistles are cohesion calls. Animal Behaviour, 56, 829-838.
[1] e.g., Thomas, J. A., Kastelein, R. A., & Awbrey, F. T. (1990). Behavior and blood catecholamines of captive belugas during playbacks of noise from an oil drilling platform. Zoo Biology, 9, 393-402.
Ridgway, S. H., & Reddy, M. (1995). Residue levels of several organochlorines in Tursiops truncatus milk collected at varied stages of lactation. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 30, 609-614.
Reddy, M., Echols, S., Finklea, B., Busbee, D., Reif, J. S., & Ridgway, S. (1998). PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in clinically healthy Tursiops truncatus: Relationships between levels in blubber and blood. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 36, 892-903.
Houser, D. S., Yeates, L., Crocker, D. E., Martin, S. W., & Finneran, J. J. (2011). Behavioral reactions of dolphins and sea lions to sonarlike sound exposures, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 129, 2432.
[1] e.g., Reidarson, T. H., McBain, J. F., Dalton, L. M., & Rinaldi, M. G. (1999). Diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections in marine mammals. (pp. 478-484). In M. E. Fowler & R. E. Miller (Eds.), Zoo & Wild Animal Medicine, Current Therapy 4. W.B. Saunders: Philadelphia, PA.
[1] e.g., Finneran, J. J., Houser, D. S., Blasko, D., Hicks, C., Hudson, J., & Osborn, M. (2008). Estimating bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) hearing thresholds from single and multiple simultaneous auditory evoked potentials. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123, 542-551.
Please keep up the research.
Thanks for encouraging words Heather.
I Support Keeping and research of Marine mammals in scientific led zoos. Please continue it and do not listen to stupid activists who know nothing about animal needs/biology.
You all do such amazing research and give such support and unconditional love for these mammals. Do NOT abandon this ongoing endeavour.
Thank you for your support April!
Please continue doing research on the whales and dolphins at the Vancouver aquarium! It’s great to have a facility so close to visit and learn what they are finding!
Hi Tammy, thanks for supporting our commitment to cetacean conservation research – your words mean a lot to us.