Their names are familiar to school children all throughout Baltimore: Nani, Jade, Spirit, Maya, Bayley, Chesapeake, Beau, and Foster. They are sons and daughters, half- sisters and brothers to each other, and have entertained 50 million delighted visitors since they first came to Baltimore in 1990.
It’s clear to see why the dolphins are so endearing: bottlenose dolphins are characterized as living in a matriarchal society, where females exhibit a high level of care throughout their calves’ lives. And since 1990 the aquarium has worked to uphold the living, caring community.
Taking this a step further, the aquarium is now considering retiring its colony and moving the dolphins to an oceanside sanctuary. The move is only one in a series of steps to take a more proactive attitude toward conservation, not just animal shows and exhibits. “As science continues to evolve and emerge, we have an obligation to re-examine our philosophy of care and evaluate all of the best possible options for a living environment for our dolphins in the years ahead,” says an aquarium spokesperson. To this end, the aquarium is meeting with animal care experts, biologists, and even architects to help determine the best possible solution.
The popular dolphin shows, with the creatures leaping up out of the pool and drenching delighted children sitting in the “splash zone,” were discontinued in 2012 after the aquarium reached the consensus that the shows provided little educational value. Breeding the dolphins also proved problematic, as two young calves born in 2011 died from health complications.
The aquarium is now debating what’s best for the dolphins. While animal sanctuaries are common around the world, marine mammal sanctuaries are still unheard of. And releasing the animals into the wild is impossible: these animals have eaten dead fish and lived in captivity their entire existence. “They need to care for them and exercise them for the rest of their lives,” cetacean biologist Richard Connor told the National Geographic. The aquarium is currently investigating the possibility of creating a national dolphin sanctuary in a warmer climate.
To help determine the best course of action for the $35-million Marine Mammal Pavilion, the aquarium is intentionally taking things slowly and consulting with professionals from various industries. Studio Gang Architects, led by MacArthur fellow Jeanne Gang, have been brought in to look at designing a modern marine sanctuary. Studio Gang was most recently behind the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Ideas on the table include a habitat that resembles the South Pacific, where marine life would swim among rusting fighter plane and war wreckage, as well as an underwater forest with swaying kelp stalks, and an animal care center, where animals could recover and rehabilitate.
There is currently no timetable for the dolphin dilemma, but the aquarium has created a website that allows readers to comment on what could and should be the next step, and follow along closely with the transformation process. To find out more and voice your opinion, visit aqua.org/future.
Monday, July 14, 2014 - 08:57
Baltimore's National Aquarium Considers Closing Dolphin Exhibit
Their names are familiar to school children all throughout Baltimore: Nani, Jade, Spirit, Maya, Bayley, Chesapeake, Beau, and Foster. They are sons and daughters, half- sisters and brothers to each other, and have entertained 50 million delighted visitors since they first came to Baltimore in 1990.
It’s clear to see why the dolphins are so endearing: bottlenose dolphins are characterized as living in a matriarchal society, where females exhibit a high level of care throughout their calves’ lives. And since 1990 the aquarium has worked to uphold the living, caring community.
Taking this a step further, the aquarium is now considering retiring its colony and moving the dolphins to an oceanside sanctuary. The move is only one in a series of steps to take a more proactive attitude toward conservation, not just animal shows and exhibits. “As science continues to evolve and emerge, we have an obligation to re-examine our philosophy of care and evaluate all of the best possible options for a living environment for our dolphins in the years ahead,” says an aquarium spokesperson. To this end, the aquarium is meeting with animal care experts, biologists, and even architects to help determine the best possible solution.
The popular dolphin shows, with the creatures leaping up out of the pool and drenching delighted children sitting in the “splash zone,” were discontinued in 2012 after the aquarium reached the consensus that the shows provided little educational value. Breeding the dolphins also proved problematic, as two young calves born in 2011 died from health complications.
The aquarium is now debating what’s best for the dolphins. While animal sanctuaries are common around the world, marine mammal sanctuaries are still unheard of. And releasing the animals into the wild is impossible: these animals have eaten dead fish and lived in captivity their entire existence. “They need to care for them and exercise them for the rest of their lives,” cetacean biologist Richard Connor told the National Geographic. The aquarium is currently investigating the possibility of creating a national dolphin sanctuary in a warmer climate.
To help determine the best course of action for the $35-million Marine Mammal Pavilion, the aquarium is intentionally taking things slowly and consulting with professionals from various industries. Studio Gang Architects, led by MacArthur fellow Jeanne Gang, have been brought in to look at designing a modern marine sanctuary. Studio Gang was most recently behind the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Ideas on the table include a habitat that resembles the South Pacific, where marine life would swim among rusting fighter plane and war wreckage, as well as an underwater forest with swaying kelp stalks, and an animal care center, where animals could recover and rehabilitate.
There is currently no timetable for the dolphin dilemma, but the aquarium has created a website that allows readers to comment on what could and should be the next step, and follow along closely with the transformation process. To find out more and voice your opinion, visit aqua.org/future.
Their names are familiar to school children all throughout Baltimore: Nani, Jade, Spirit, Maya, Bayley, Chesapeake, Beau, and Foster. They are sons and daughters, half- sisters and brothers to each other, and have entertained 50 million delighted visitors since they first came to Baltimore in 1990.
It’s clear to see why the dolphins are so endearing: bottlenose dolphins are characterized as living in a matriarchal society, where females exhibit a high level of care throughout their calves’ lives. And since 1990 the aquarium has worked to uphold the living, caring community.
Taking this a step further, the aquarium is now considering retiring its colony and moving the dolphins to an oceanside sanctuary. The move is only one in a series of steps to take a more proactive attitude toward conservation, not just animal shows and exhibits. “As science continues to evolve and emerge, we have an obligation to re-examine our philosophy of care and evaluate all of the best possible options for a living environment for our dolphins in the years ahead,” says an aquarium spokesperson. To this end, the aquarium is meeting with animal care experts, biologists, and even architects to help determine the best possible solution.
The popular dolphin shows, with the creatures leaping up out of the pool and drenching delighted children sitting in the “splash zone,” were discontinued in 2012 after the aquarium reached the consensus that the shows provided little educational value. Breeding the dolphins also proved problematic, as two young calves born in 2011 died from health complications.
The aquarium is now debating what’s best for the dolphins. While animal sanctuaries are common around the world, marine mammal sanctuaries are still unheard of. And releasing the animals into the wild is impossible: these animals have eaten dead fish and lived in captivity their entire existence. “They need to care for them and exercise them for the rest of their lives,” cetacean biologist Richard Connor told the National Geographic. The aquarium is currently investigating the possibility of creating a national dolphin sanctuary in a warmer climate.
To help determine the best course of action for the $35-million Marine Mammal Pavilion, the aquarium is intentionally taking things slowly and consulting with professionals from various industries. Studio Gang Architects, led by MacArthur fellow Jeanne Gang, have been brought in to look at designing a modern marine sanctuary. Studio Gang was most recently behind the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Ideas on the table include a habitat that resembles the South Pacific, where marine life would swim among rusting fighter plane and war wreckage, as well as an underwater forest with swaying kelp stalks, and an animal care center, where animals could recover and rehabilitate.
There is currently no timetable for the dolphin dilemma, but the aquarium has created a website that allows readers to comment on what could and should be the next step, and follow along closely with the transformation process. To find out more and voice your opinion, visit aqua.org/future.