Swimming with dolphins

Claims Dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) is a form of animal-assisted therapy (AAT), in which captive dolphins interact with humans with a range of psychological and neurological disorders. DAT is often claimed to help children and adults with autism, encephalopathy, Down's syndrome, atopic dermatitis, While some forms of DAT involve patients swimming with, or being pulled around by, dolphins, others entail simply observing, touching, or feeding them. Smith observed that two wild dolphins, adolescents who were normally aggressive, She offered DAT sessions for free, and called for more rigorous scientific research into the possible long-term benefits of swimming with dolphins. started language experiments using swimming with dolphins as a motivator in teaching children with Down's Syndrome at Ocean World in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nathanson found that when children were rewarded with dolphin swims for giving correct responses, they learned four times faster and retained information for longer. Respondent bias has also been a problem in studies where children were selected to participate because their families expressed interested in DAT. s swimming underwater There is limited clinical evidence that dolphin therapy is effective in treating depression. During the two-week controlled trial in Honduras, 30 patients discontinued their medical and psychotherapy treatments and participated in water activities instead. and other disabilities, and to ease pain for patients in hospital. == Tourist activity ==

Swimming with both captive and wild dolphins has become a popular tourist activity around the world. Fascination with dolphins is deep-rooted in many cultures; wild dolphins appear in stories as mythical or god-like creatures with a symbiotic relationship to humans, for example in the legends of pre-historic Africans, ancient Greeks and Romans, and the Maori in New Zealand. the belief that dolphins love humans and performing for them; documentaries about dolphin-assisted therapy and the "healing attributes" of dolphins; have all contributed to the desirability of the swim-with-dolphins experience. Captive dolphins Large marine parks in the United States such as Sea World in Florida first started offering a small number of tourists the opportunity to enter their dolphin pools to touch and swim with dolphins in the 20th century. While resorts such as The Kahala Hotel & Resort and the Hilton Waikoloa Village offer tourists with the opportunity to swim with dolphins, newer establishments such as the Ko Olina Resort have stated that they will not keep captive dolphins. Dolphin Quest, a company which operates "swim-with dolphin" facilities in Hawaii, has argued that income from tourism has helped to fund the scientific study and conservation of marine mammals. Furthermore, they insist that the welfare of dolphins is often better in their care than in the wild, where dolphins are exposed to pollution, disease, injuries from boats, and insufficient food sources. Wild dolphins , in the Caribbean, there were more than 30 marine attractions offering tourists and cruise ship passengers the chance to swim with dolphins, with similar tourist activities in European tourist destinations including Spain, the Algarve, and the Canary Islands, and across the Middle East and Asia. In many locations, small- and medium-sized tour operators take tourists by boat to look for dolphin pods and swim with wild dolphins, snorkeling freely, or holding onto ropes. A study by eco/wildlife tourism researcher Susanna Curtin found that while tourists who swim with wild dolphins consistently feed back that the experience was "disappointingly brief", they tend to express feelings of satisfaction from seeing the dolphins in their "natural setting". == Impact on dolphins ==

Health s near Monterey Bay Swimming with dolphins has resulted in stress, injury, and death for dolphins. Dolphins are often susceptible to similar respiratory ailments as humans, and swimming in confined spaces can add to mental distress and weaken their immune systems. Behavioral and wildlife biologist Toni Frohoff has stated that even if dolphins appear to be enjoying their interaction with humans, they may be "performing" out of fear of isolation and punishment. Population In the Bay of Islands north of Auckland, New Zealand, the population of wild bottlenose dolphins shrank by 90 percent – from approximately 270 to only 30 – during a period of 20 years. According to the Department of Conservation in New Zealand, boat tours offering passengers the chance to swim with dolphin pods had upset their normal resting and feeding behaviour, and led to a 75 percent mortality rate among calves. == Risks to humans ==

Humans have been injured while swimming with dolphins, which are not domesticated animals. According to National Geographic magazine, "Reports in peer-reviewed papers indicate that dolphins have bitten people, rammed into them, or slapped them with their flukes. Even professional dolphin trainers have been charged, butted, bitten, or held down at the bottom of a tank." Although the shape of the dolphins' jaw is interpreted by many humans as "smiling", dolphins in captivity may in fact be suffering from distress. Wild dolphins may become aggressive when they swim close to boats anticipating snacks, and don't receive any. == Legislation ==

In 2005, Costa Rica banned swimming with dolphins or whales, and made it illegal to keep them in captivity. In 2021, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) in the United States banned tourists and residents from swimming with wild spinner dolphins in Hawaii. == See also ==