SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS
Many people in the U.S.A. go south to the Caribbean every year looking for wonderful
beaches with clear waters and the opportunity to practise exciting activities in the open.
Among these activities, swim-with-the-dolphin programs have become exceptionally
fashionable. Despite their popularity, some people are starting to express an opinion
against them.
An anonymous dolphin trainer told The Dodo Online Magazine that these programs
are very problematic because cetaceans simply do not belong in captivity. "Dolphins
are intelligent and gentle creatures in their natural habitat," said the trainer, "but put
them in a cage and you will see them change. They feel under such extreme pressure
that they become fully aggressive."
Born and raised in the Bahamas, the trainer said that he had been employed at two
swim-with-the-dolphin facilities in the Caribbean and that they were far too inadequate.
At one of them more than 40 dolphins were caged in a compartment and some of the
animals eventually went blind because of chemical products used to clean the water.
However, his most upsetting accusation is that some female dolphins stop their new
born babies from breathing by blocking their way to the surface. The trainer, who isn't
a scientist, said that he and his colleagues think that the mothers do this because they
don't want their babies to live in captivity.
Though that claim can't be proven, activist groups have pointed out some problems
with dolphin captivity in general. Furthermore, the Animal Protection Society of the
United States has published a report which explains that cetaceans in captivity are
generally fed with nutrient-deficient frozen fish and have a history of premature death
from a variety of causes.
Trying to end this situation, some Caribbean countries have developed legislation to
address the problems caused by dolphin-in-captivity programs. However, regulations
are not enough if tourists don’t become aware of the problem and realise that their
desire to be with the dolphins is actually killing them.
OPTION A
I. - Answer questions 1-4 according to the information given in the text. WRITE
COMPLETE SENTENCES USING YOUR OWN WORDS WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT. (4 marks)
1. What do visitors want to find when they go to the Caribbean?
When tourists go to the Caribbean, they want to find stunning beaches and also to
enjoy amazing thrilling activities in the open.
2. According to the trainer, how does their lack of freedom affect dolphins?
According to the trainer, dolphins lack of freedom change their behaviour. They
change from clever and calm animals in to the aggressive ones.
3. What is wrong with the food dolphins in captivity are usually given?
According to the Animal Protection Society of the United States, the food that is used
to feed the animals is frozen fish. It doesn’t have enough nutrients to nourish the
dolphins and that can cause several health problems.
4. What can be done to solve the problems of dolphin-in-captivity programs?
The first and more important thing to do is to raise awareness within tourist about the
condition of the dolphins that are living in captivity in order to report dolphin in
