Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Psycho-Physiological Stress On Captive Dolphins, Nick Carter

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

“Morgane (1978) has stated that: Man sees all other creatures through the narrow focus of his knowledge

and sees the whole image in distortion.” But dolphins are extraordinary creatures with complex behavior patterns and capabilities. Humans who appreciate dolphins are almost unanimous “in agreeing that familiarity breeds awe..”. It is suggested that the conditions of capture and confinement may be as stressful to dolphins as they would be for humans. Evidence in support of this speculation is presented. An examination of hundreds of dolphins who died after being caught in trawl nets indicated that only 5% had water in their …