Fighting for dolphins: a Tank Free timeline

Missie, Silver and Rocky – Into the Blue

Born Free has a long history campaigning to end the captive exploitation of dolphins and whales, as well as porpoises (known collectively as cetaceans). Over the years, there have been many challenges and developments surrounding the global captive cetacean industry and, with your support, Born Free’s been there fighting all the way. 

Sarah Jefferson

In 1987, Born Free worked with our friends at Whale and Dolphin Conservation to carry out an extensive survey of dolphinaria in Britain. Our subsequent joint report revealed the shocking conditions in which many cetaceans were being held and exploited as marine clowns.

Thankfully, our investigations lead to new legislation in 1990, which saw new standards of cetacean care imposed that were so strict, none of the captive facilities were able to meet them. This, combined with the launch of our Into the Blue campaign in 1991 and changing public opinion concerning the welfare of captive cetaceans, resulted in the gradual closure of dolphinaria in the UK.

Some facilities transferred their dolphins and orca to other dolphinaria overseas, but our Into the Blue campaign saw the successful rescue of three of the country’s last captive bottlenose dolphins. Missie and Silver from Brighton Dolphinarium, and Rocky from Morecambe Marineland (all pictured above), were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild in the Caribbean. The UK has remained captive cetacean free since 1993.

But shockingly, there are believed to still be over 3,600 captive dolphins, whales, and porpoises around the world. Exploited for public interaction or forced to perform in shows. Many were born in captivity, but others continue to be taken from the wild.

Springer as a calf

In 2002, Born Free helped stop the captive industry imprisoning a baby orca named Springer, who was found alone in the waters near Seattle, USA, separated from her mother. OrcaLab, which is supported by Born Free, were able to identify Springer’s calls and, with our help, she was successfully reunited with her wild family in Canada. Springer has gone on to have two calves of her own in the wild and is still monitored by OrcaLab.

But not all orca are as lucky as Springer. In 2010, a young female named Morgan was spotted swimming alone off the coast of the Netherlands. Morgan was captured but, rather than attempting to rehabilitate her and return her to the wild, she was sent to a local dolphinarium, despite public and international outrage, where they taught her to do tricks. Morgan was then transferred to Loro Parque Zoo in the Canary Islands, where she heartbreakingly remains to this day, entertaining visitors and tourists.

National and international animal welfare organisations have crucially helped to expose the miserable reality of these animals’ lives. For many years, Born Free has worked with other organisations and coalitions, such as Dolphinaria-Free Europe, to ensure that relevant authorities have the evidence to support compassionate change (Europe has 300+ dolphins and whales held in 30+ dolphinaria). Our hundreds of visits to captive facilities, particularly focused in Europe, and our in-depth reports have uncovered a catalogue of cetacean suffering, which we continue to flag with national and regional authorities.

Misha and Tom in Turkey

People-power has also played a big part in helping to bring about positive change for individual captive cetaceans, with many deciding enough is enough. In 2010, Born Free rescued two captive bottlenose dolphins from a filthy swimming pool in Turkey. Misha and Tom’s desperate situation came to light because concerned locals refused to stand by and watch these beautiful animals suffer for tourist entertainment. We rehabilitated them and returned them back to the wild two years later.

The plight of captive orca was back in the spotlight in 2010, when a trainer was tragically killed by an orca named Tilikum whilst she was interacting with him at SeaWorld Orlando. This incident came just a couple of months after a trainer at Loro Parque Zoo was killed by a former SeaWorld orca named Keto, whilst rehearsing for a show.

These incidents, both involving disturbed and psychologically damaged orca, resulted in the 2013 film ‘Blackfish’, a groundbreaking exposé of the captive cetacean industry, with a particular focus on SeaWorld parks in the USA. Born Free is proud to have worked with the film distributors to bring this important award-winning documentary to Europe, visiting seven countries in 20 days. Blackfish sent shockwaves around the world, with public pressure and declining ticket sales leading to SeaWorld ending orca breeding.

Concerns regarding captive cetaceans around the world have continued to grow. Many countries have brought in legislation to ban cetacean captivity, leading to phase-outs and facility closures. Challenges to the construction of new captive cetacean facilities have also occurred, such as in 2013, when Born Free helped develop and fund a campaign led by Indian organisation FIAPO that successfully halted plans to build several new sites around the country.

Orca animation at Westfield

Born Free’s high profile public campaigns have continued to hit the headlines and raise public awareness. In 2017, we teamed up with photographer and visual artist George Logan, creative agency WCRS and ‘The Mill’ studio to create a powerful and award-winning animation of an orca in a barren tank. The animation was displayed on billboards at shopping centres across the UK, to highlight the appalling fact that, in the USA, a captive orca can legally be kept in a tank just twice its own body length (roughly the same size of a 48ft billboard). When members of the public made a £5 phone donation, the orca ‘leapt free’ into the ocean.

That same year, we also worked with George Logan and WCRS to produce Born to be free. Not to perform. Animated posters featuring an orca being treated like a puppet, held on strings by a human hand, were displayed across London Westfield shopping centres.

With a rapidly growing shift in public attitudes away from the exploitation of wild animals in captivity, and thanks to animal welfare organisations, including Born Free, continuing to apply pressure, a large number of travel companies have committed to no longer sell captive cetaceans to their customers. In 2018, Thomas Cook became the first major UK tour operator to ‘stop-sale’ captive cetaceans, followed by Trip Advisor, Virgin Holidays, and British Airways Holidays – who Born Free helped create their 2019 Animal Welfare Policy. Travel giant Expedia came next, then easyJet holidays, and Jet2Holidays in 2024.

Orca at Marineland

We have recently seen the closure of Marineland Antibes in France, a facility Born Free has investigated many times over the years. Marineland blamed the law banning cetacean shows in France, which came into effect in November 2021, for the steep decline in visitor numbers. The question now remains as to what exactly will happen to their captive dolphins, as well as two orcas Wikie and Keijo.

Despite having several years to plan for their relocation outside of France, no humane solution appears to have been put on the table as yet. Born Free is urging Marineland to work with animal welfare organisations to identify genuine sanctuaries that can provide the highest standards of species-appropriate lifetime care rather than transfer them to yet another marine park, where they will likely continue to be exploited for entertainment. We are continuing to work with our Dolphinaria-Free Europe coalition partners to ensure the best possible outcome for the animals at Marineland.

As you have read, Born Free has been at the forefront of the fight for captive cetaceans for over 40 years, and we are pleased to see that the tide is seemingly turning. However, there is clearly still more to be done to ensure that this horrific global industry is gone forever. With you by our side, we won’t give up fighting. 
 
Our Tank Free campaign is calling on the public, tourists and the travel industry to help end the exploitation of captive whales, dolphins and porpoises for entertainment. Please visit our Tank Free campaign page to find out more and how you can help.