The Freedom Dance

Sunday was a day I will never, ever forget. I finally got to go whale watching! Something I have always wanted to do. This is the only acceptable way to view these mammals, in my opinion. Let me explain why...

I became interested in marine mammals when I took a course in University called "Recreation and Tourism in Marine Environments". I learned a lot about whales and dolphins in captivity vs. in the wild. The main message is this: in captivity, these beautiful animals become stressed out and depressed, just as humans do when freedom is taking away. Marine parks claim that they are able to "conserve" the animals and breed them in a controlled environment. Well, here is the truth- there is no shortage of whales and dolphins in the wild, so there is absolutely no need to conserve or breed them in captivity. They also claim that they can "research" them in captivity. Well how accurate is this research when you are studying the behaviour of a captive animal? Not at all accurate. Their behaviour is dramatically different in captivity vs. wild. Whales and dolphins have generations of families like humans. They stick together; babies feed from mother's milk; relatives babysit the young when their mothers are not able to. To tear them away from their families for tourism is far beyond acceptable and the only way to stop it is to make a simple choice, and that is to not buy into the crap that these tourism organizations sell you.

Also, I would like to add that touching dolphins (as they allow tourists to do at these 'dolphin swims') damages their skin. The slightest touch will cause scratches that will not heal. So please, DO NOT take part in these activities for the sake of the animals. It is NOT worth it. Do not visit marine parks, do not give money to organizations that keep these animals in captivity, and do not touch them.

So, having said all of this, a dream came true when I got to see dolphins in the wild. No whales were spotted or heard by SONAR, but I was completely thrilled with seeing the dolphins playing and jumping around beside the boat. There were TONS of them!!! I try to avoid "personalizing" them and describing their behaviour as human traits, but honestly it seemed as though they loved the attention we were giving them. They seemed curious, like they wanted to swim close to us. I see dolphins as the 'dogs' of the ocean.

Why is this post called "The Freedom Dance"? For two reasons: First, I once had a gorgeous poster of the same title, which was a photo of a dolphin jumping against a setting sun; and second, I think there is no better way to describe what a dolphin looks like in the wild than "they are dancing to the beat of freedom".

There are not a lot of things more beautiful than witnessing the dance, and I encourage everyone to see it for themselves (and to go with a company that considers the needs of the animals first).

Please check out some photos of our excursion!!