After speaking to various animal welfare organizations as well as multiple animal rights activists, I have come to the realization that we need to go after marine mammal captivity in general, rather than targeting the Navy first. The use of dolphins in the U.S. Navy is a long-standing practice (starting in the 1950s) and has been protested by the public for nearly as long, yet little has changed, due to the deference most people give the military. However, the general public is very receptive to over-arching welfare arguments right now with regard to cetaceans, due to documentaries like “The Cove” and “Blackfish.” The first step in abolishing marine mammal captivity altogether, is to eradicate the use of cetaceans in entertainment. After that, we can go after marine mammals used in lab tests. The Naval marine mammal program will most likely be the last to be terminated. We have to take this one step at a time. Eventually, my goal is to stop animal captivity entirely. For now, there are still a few things we can do to help.
1. Write a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense, Dr. Mark T. Esper, to urge him to honorably discharge the marine mammals within the NAVWAR program. You can send your letter to:
Dr. Mark T. Esper
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
PETA offers a letter-writing guide at: http://www.PETA.org/action/activism-guide/letter-writing
2. Sign this letter to Congress to encourage them to safeguard the Marine Mammal Protection Act: https://act.oceana.org/page/37851/petition/1?locale=en-US
3. Sign this petition to stop the Navy from “taking” hundreds of thousands marine mammals from the Pacific Northwest: http://chng.it/MSnLdGjC7s
As for abolishing the use of cetaceans for entertainment, Senator Cathleen Galgiani proposed California Senate Bill 1405 that goes as follows: “Existing law makes it unlawful to hold in captivity an orca, whether wild caught or captive bred, for any purpose, including for display, performance, or entertainment purposes; to breed or impregnate an orca held in captivity; to export, collect, or import the semen, other gametes, or embryos of an orca held in captivity for the purpose of artificial insemination; or to export, transport, move, or sell an orca located in the state to another state or country. Existing law creates certain exceptions to these provisions, including an exception that authorizes an orca located in the state on January 1, 2017, to continue to be held in captivity for its current purpose and, after June 1, 2017, to continue to be used for educational presentations. Existing law provides that a person, corporation, or institution that intentionally or negligently violates these provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $100,000. This bill would expand these provisions to include cetaceans, which the bill would define to mean a whale, dolphin, or porpoise in the order Cetacea. By expanding the definition of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a cetacean located in the state on an unspecified date to continue to be held in captivity for its current purpose and, after an unspecified date, to continue to be used for educational presentations.” This bill could potentially end the cetacean entertainment industry.
Luckily, progress is being made both socially and legally. It’s a long and gruelling fight, but the fight for animal rights is vital. We have the chance to save millions of lives and make this world a better place. Here are some additional resources you should check out:
The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity #1: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=8355ee991f&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1673497676310168179&th=1739754520e8c273&view=att&disp=safe
The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity #2:
https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/case-against-marine-captivity.pdf
Dolphin Project article on the Navy marine mammal program: https://www.dolphinproject.com/blog/the-navy-should-stop-using-captive-dolphins/
PETA article on marine mammals in captivity: https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/marine-animal-exhibits-chlorinated-prisons/