It's a shame it was in the Mail, but it's about time a mainstream paper covered this

[ArielThePiraticalMermaid]

This is barbaric, revolting and upsetting and I don't like linking to DM articles, but it needs to be said and talked about and spread. People have been bravely campaigning against this atrocity for years yet it continues. Please be assured that every time you visit a place like SeaWorld that, no matter what they tell you, you are helping perpetuate this hideous, hideous trade.

I have talked about this on MN before and have had outraged mummies telling me I am trying to spoil their children's fun

that would be great. thank you very much.

oh xpost. thank you. i'll see if that is the one she's using. it has been arranged on her behalf so she may not even know.

Those poor things . "In 2011, about 15 per cent of dolphins were taken into captivity (68 were kept alive and 968 killed)."

Once or twice, D0G :)

Maybe MNHQ can move this to Chat. It's not really In The News, as it's an on and on and ongoing issue that more people need to know about. I'll ask.

Discussions in chat are deleted after 30 days, though.

Oh, good point. I'll have to message them again.

OK MNHQ, please could you leave it where it is? Thanks!

There are several places in the UK where you can see dolphins and whales but no guarantees. Generally the more isolated spot, the more likely you are to see one. Porpoise are actually pretty common but tricky to spot. Good places to see bottlenose are cardigan bay in wales and moray forth in Scotland. The west coast of Scotland is a great place for several species, and if you pick your spot is pretty easy to see minke, risso dolphin, bottlenose and others. The further out you go, the more species you can see.

Swimming with truly wild whales, dolphins, seals or seabirds is truly magical. I can understand the appeal of the organised guaranteed swim but its only ok if the animals are free to move as and where they will, which the organised deals rarely are.

I don't know. I am in unchartered waters here.

I want as many people as possible to see the article anyway.

tilder, the uncertainty of finding them is part of the magic of the wild for me. I think when that's explained to them, most people are the same.

Ariel thanks for posting this - I, for one, had no idea. Very powerful stuff, thanks again.

I completely agree Ariel. It's especially exciting when you get to see something unexpected. It's one thing to live or work near them though and another to be in holiday with expectations of seeing or swimming with them, which I guess is why people go to these places. That and they are unaware or don't care about the seedy side of it.

I have friends who have been to seaworld and I just don't see the comparison between that and the real deal.

We are off to Florida at Easter and were considering doing the Dolphin Experience at Discovery Cove. I asked on the travel boards if anyone had done it and got some great advice to do a bit more research fom PorkyandBess and VivaLeBeaver.

I automatically assumed that a world renowned attraction in a developed country would have good standards for animal welfare. I'm so glad I canvassed opinions and, of course, we are going nowhere near the place.

Thank you Growlithe. I'm so glad you've changed your mind.

I have seen those reviews of Discovery Cove on the holiday topics and the odd voice shouting up about the welfare issues, and good on them, but only once the topic has gone dead. I think once a mainstream paper even if it is the Mail takes up the cause, it all becomes a lot more powerful.

I don't think we can ask for something to be in Discussions of the Day in order to heighten awareness of an issue can we? It would be good though

Thanks for posting this, Ariel. I had no idea that this sort of horror went on Shocking.

Gah. Missing full stop. Sentiment remains the same however.

Watch "The Cove" if you haven't already. It's extremely powerful. The fishermen in Taiji, Japan, wanted this hushed up and kept secret for years, but they have failed in that. Incidentally they are blatantly flouting the International Whaling Commission's moratorium on whaling by hunting great whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, while the rest of the world does nothing. Yes, that's right, the Sanctuary. Where whales are supposed to be safe. Likewise in Iceland, whales are still hunted. And in Norway. In Europe, in the 21st century. There is no humane way to kill a whale. They are too big.

Why are those thinking the London Aquarium is ok just because they don't have dolphins? What about all the other creatures they DO have? What about zoos, and all those captive animals?

I posted a few months back on this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/longhaul/a1517782-Help-planning-Disney-holiday-of-lifetime?msgid=34243145 about Sea World etc but was completely ignored. I am glad more people are becoming aware, but really, it takes so little research to find these things out. In fact, I'd say it was obvious: animals do not belong in entertainment facilities.

A good place to start for info: liberationbc.org/issues/aquariums

And some info on zoos: liberationbc.org/issues/zoos