Myths of the Ocean – MS Victory

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At one time I called this ‘Dying Dolphin’. I prefer to call it ‘Saving the Dolphin’. We all know that this intelligent cetacean mammal lives close to the heart of many, but the reality is that dolphins are increasingly subjected to encroaching civilization.

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While researching in the Miami Seaquarium I dropped my sunglasses in the performance tank, and I reckoned it was the last I would see of them. Two seconds later, a dolphin appeared with my sunglasses perched on its rostrum, shaking its head up and down and vocalizing, letting me know it had retrieved them.

In the Florida Keys I would swim with the wild dolphins, hanging on to their dorsal fins while they played with me. Holding my breathe is not one of my talents, and no sooner than a dolphin dove under the surface, I came up spluttering for air. A moment later the dolphin appeared on the surface at my side, laughing hilariously at my ineptitude.

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This mural carries with it a cautionary symbolism, that we share the danger of losing so many of our beloved animals, and yet there are those of us with feeling and intent, who strive to change that around.

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Now on a more serious note, alarming and reliable statistics suggest that illegal dynamite fishing, entanglement in fishing nets, collisions with boats and propellers, marine pollution, disease and beaching due to sonar interference, kill an increasing number of dolphins every year. We are the major perpetrator. The number of species of dolphins is around 43, and one of every four species of dolphins, to be exact, close to 25% of the population is close to extinction.

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One myth is that it is cruel to keep dolphins in captivity. Yes it is cruel if they are in a strictly confined space. However, in expansive saltwater catchment areas that are cordoned off from the ocean where they are allowed to swim at will with ever loving admirers, it is both a distraction and playtime for them. Dolphins love to play. In fact a family friend who is an expert trainer tells me that in order to impress upon a dolphin who might be acting inappropriately, he ignores it. This is the most telling behavior, because they love attention and they love to perform, for the dolphin it fun!

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