For Dolphins, a Bold Decision by the National Aquarium
The aquarium’s plan to move its eight dolphins to an ocean refuge could pave the way for others.
Eight captive dolphins just earned an early retirement: the National Aquarium, in Baltimore, Maryland, announced Tuesday that it plans by 2020 to move the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins to an ocean refuge. The sanctuary would be the first of its kind in North America, according to the aquarium.
“We now know more about dolphins and their care, and we believe that the National Aquarium is uniquely positioned to use that knowledge to implement positive change,” said John Racanelli, chief executive officer of the National Aquarium, in a statement. “This is the right time to move forward with the dolphin sanctuary.”
Because the captive cetaceans would have trouble making it in the wild, they won’t be shipped out to the open seas
