Olympic Diving Champion Chris Mears Stars in Campaign Against Swim-With-Dolphins Parks
Olympic champion Chris Mears, who won Britain’s first gold medal for diving in 2016, is now making a splash in PETA’s new campaign against swim-with-dolphins parks.
Chris revealed that he swam with captive dolphins as a child on holiday with his parents, admitting, “We had absolutely no idea … how these animals are treated.” From PETA’s campaign against SeaWorld, he learned that, like orcas, dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals who are often illegally captured and sold to parks around the world.
It’s not only SeaWorld that’s notorious for allowing people to swim with captive dolphins – marine parks all over the world let visitors swim with, touch, and even ride on these sensitive animals.
In the wild, dolphins swim up to 50 miles each day and live in close family groups. But in captivity, they’re confined to chemically treated concrete pools that offer almost no stimulation. Being forced to swim with crowds of people – day after day – adds to the stress endured by these gentle animals, who often lash out with aggressive behaviour as a result. Their sonar literally bounces off the tank walls, causing depression, ulcers, and early death.
Please never visit an attraction that holds dolphins or other marine animals captive. You can learn more about the ways animals suffer in the tourism industry here:
