Obese dolphins put on diet

by LotusFlower | September 30, 2008 at 07:31 am

1455 views | 25 Recommendations | 26 comments

Japan likes aquatic mammals from eating whales and dophins to watching them, as do many people from around the world, performing tricks in zoos and aquariums.

Dolphins at Kinosaki Marine World have had to put their performing dolphins on a fat free diet after they noticed that they had developed pot bellies and were having difficulty in performing some of their tricks. They found that the dolphins had put on around 22lbs and this was causing them to lose balance when 'treading water' and to miss their jumping targets.

The story raises the question that all marine parks around the world and those that visit them need to perhaps think about: Is the capture of dolphins to perform for humans morally and environmentally acceptable?

Let's hope the dolphins can lose the weight and keep healthy.

Dolphins at a marine park in Japan have been put on a diet after developing pot bellies and failing to hit jumping targets.

Staff at Kinosaki Marine World in western Japan became concerned last month when they noticed the aquatic performances of the plumper dolphins were beginning to suffer.

Keepers were confused by their apparent sluggishness and noticed the animals were having problems keeping upright while treading water.

"We were puzzled by their poor performance, then we noticed they looked rounder,'' said Haruo Imazu, the park spokesman.

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Paschen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 07:53 on September 30th, 2008

LotusFlower, I never heard of that before. Freedom is what is much healthier.

However most Japanese do not eat Wale or Dolphin and the rest would stop if they knew that there tax Yen is paying for the ongoing hunt. The Government does not like to talk about this nor do the Media.

JeffHuang

at 08:11 on September 30th, 2008

Interesting. I can already see some wildlife organization preparing to rip into Kinosaki Marine World

LotusFlower

at 08:28 on September 30th, 2008

Thanks Paschen - yes most Japanese do not eat whale or dolphin but the Japanese government is still permitting the catching of Whale and dolphin for 'scientific research' and what's not used in research is sold as meat - most of it. On the one hand this is a traditional food and on the other some whales are in danger of extinction (though not all).

Dolphins and whales in zoos or Marine Worlds are a wonderful spectacle to see (even better in the wild) and they might look happy but the lifespan of captive dolphins and whales is drastically different in general (shorter) than wild ones - so something doesn't agree with the dolphins and whales in captivity - maybe being captive itself never mind the diet and water quality etc.

Thanks again,

LotusFlower

at 08:31 on September 30th, 2008

Hi Jeff - I believe that this isn't such an unusual occurence - some Dolphins get fat in captivity especially if not given the opportunity to free swim for prolonged periods of time in larger pools - we just don't get to hear about it.

Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 08:36 on September 30th, 2008

LotusFlower, I like this story. It's good stuff.

It's nice to read a story about an endangered species being overfed for once!

Paschen

at 08:37 on September 30th, 2008

I do not like the practice either of Walling nor do I like The Dolphins in Captivity. Yet the problem is not so much the people but the lack of information and the Government Policies.

Japan is still for the most part rather Isolated from te rest of the World, First Most people around the World do not speak Japanese and most Japanese do not speak English or Russian or German. And Greenpeace does not have exposure here mainly due to the languish barrier. It is coming though.

jessica.lam

at 12:49 on September 30th, 2008

In the name of science? This is quite interesting - how common is obesity amongst wild dolphins we will never know...

rpshen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:03 on September 30th, 2008

LotusFlower, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Healthy is important!

rl9racer

at 13:35 on September 30th, 2008

dolphins are fine to be in captivity, BUT that is only if they are either born into it OR rescued into it... catching a mature, wild dolphin in order to put it into captivity and make it do tricks for entertainment is just wrong.

i support the concept of marine theme parks, but only ones who dont have a history of 'buying' dolphins or whales. if a marine park rescues an injured or ailing dolphin/whale, and that specfic animal adapts to the park, way of life, and the other animals around it, i believe that it is totally fine to keep it in the park.

that being said, i do NOTsupport parks that have small habitats and no plan to develop larger ones. a small habitat is unhealty for just two dolphins, let alone 8-15 like many sea life parks utilize! a small enclosure will not allow the dolphins to swim very freely in their own time, they are easy to pollute, and just simply overcrowded. these points are all going to lead to unhealthy dolphins.

also, if a park is going to assume the responsibility of captivatng dolphins, dont f-ing cheap out on the fish! give the dolphins fresh, healthy, and high quality fish! i have rarely seen a dolphin satisfy its hunger by catching five mackerel. sure theyll eat baitfish like that, but they dont enjoy it! i have seen on countless occasions a group of four dolphins pass up a school of maybe fifty mackerel because they saw three larger tuna, calico bass or halibut somewhere else! those are relatively healthy fish and will keep the dolphins diets right...

jaysuswept

at 13:49 on September 30th, 2008

Dolphin at Osaka Aquarium

jaysuswept has contributed a photo to this story.

Nikki and Jason

at 14:25 on September 30th, 2008

Pacific White Sided Dolphins at a marine park. They are very active and fun dolphins. Enjoy my shots.

Nikki and Jason has contributed a photo to this story.

mhl12

at 15:26 on September 30th, 2008

Some of the social behaviors of dolphins can be so extraordinary. Because of that, the bond between human and dolphin is like no other.

mhl12 has contributed a photo to this story.

Ammasmama-Jen

at 15:41 on September 30th, 2008

This dolphin lives at the Texas State Aquarium, at Corpus Christi, Texas, USA.

Ammasmama-Jen has contributed a photo to this story.

Takahiro Yamamoto

at 16:42 on September 30th, 2008

Taken at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. You can walk through a glass-roofed tunnel and see dolphins swimming around.

Takahiro Yamamoto has contributed a photo to this story.

damnthetorpedoes

at 16:48 on September 30th, 2008

Taken at the Vancouver Aquarium in May 2008.
For more, check out flickr.com/photos/damnthetorpedoes

damnthetorpedoes has contributed a photo to this story.

Kaorious

at 17:44 on September 30th, 2008

Just one of the wonderful dolphins at the Hakkejima Sea Island in Yokohama, Japan. Simply breathtaking.

Kaorious has contributed a photo to this story.

stavlokratz

at 21:49 on September 30th, 2008

Madrid Aquarium

stavlokratz has contributed a photo to this story.

Kumiko　　

at 00:11 on October 1st, 2008

Japanese doesn't eat the dolphin.

As for the idea to whale in Japan, I want you to read "Harpoon" C.W.Nicol.

Kumiko　　 has contributed a photo to this story.

Siwiti

at 10:04 on October 1st, 2008

The other picture is a photo from the Vancouver Aquarium of a Pacific white-sided dolphin. This dophin was rescued after becoming tnagled in a fishing net. As an animal behavioural biologist, I do not support dolphins in captivity, unless it is a an animal bred in captivity or rescued and not able to fend for itself in the wild.

These highly social animals are better off with their family in the wild. Education is one thing, but you can also go and be educated by taking a dolphin or whale-watching trip, some companies have a very good ethical code of conduct and it's a lot better to see the animals in their environment to undestand how they live and which threats they face. I believe that sort of education will lead to a better protection of natural habitats. I know many Japanese that are very concerned by the protection of whales and dolphins and that have a very respectful approach to these creatures. Many of them come to Vancouver to encounter orcas, dolphins and humpback whales in our coastal waters. The experience is always a beautiful one.

bigdani

at 23:55 on October 1st, 2008

Never heard of that problem. First the capture and then the diet? just amazing

bigdani has contributed a photo to this story.

duedofan

at 00:40 on October 2nd, 2008

I saw those dolphins in a show in Valencia, Spain. No potbellys. I guess those shows help them to keep in shape.

I'm a bit undecided on those shows, on one hand they promote those animals that most people otherwise probably would never see. On the other hand, you have to keep them in captivity and you have to go a long way to keep their artificial habitat intact (filtration etc.)

duedofan has contributed a photo to this story.