Dolphin-Aided Therapy Has Serious Drawbacks

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to your November 5 “Face of Philanthropy” feature entitled “Dancing With Dolphins.”

While there is little dispute that certain disabled children respond positively to dolphin-assisted therapy, there is also little or no evidence that such therapy has any advantage over similar animal-assisted therapies that use domesticated species, such as dogs, cats, or farm animals.

There are any number of reasons why domesticated species should be preferred over wild species such as dolphins. First, they are safer. Having been bred for generations to be human companions, domesticated species are far easier to control.

Second, they are less stressed by exposure to unknown people. Dolphins in particular are stressed by captivity and by constant exposure to unknown social partners.

Third, they are easier to obtain. Many of the dolphins used in therapy programs are caught in the wild, and the capture of wild dolphins is an extremely violent, traumatic process that often results in capture myopathy, a potentially fatal condition. Captive breeding of dolphins is still largely a hit-or-miss process, and infant mortality is high.

In light of the above reasons, I strongly urge you not to again highlight or endorse this highly controversial practice in your publication.

Naomi A. Rose
Marine Mammal Scientist
Humane Society of the United States
Washington