Ben Pearson on Captive Dolphin Breeding

August 16, 2019

Communiteer Team, Communiteer

ben pearson

The wave of public opinion is shifting towards ending captive dolphin breeding. The Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection, Ben Pearson aims to ensure that the current generation of dolphins is the last to endure a lifetime in captivity.

Hear Ben Pearson’s story:

Informing and Educating People

Animals are important to humans and we should do our best to live with them in harmony. We need to promote the humane treatment of animals and discourage cruel and abusive practices that are prevalent throughout the world. 

Effective animal advocacy begins with helping the world see why animals are important to us. Ben Pearson emphasises that, “Ignorance is at the heart of our campaigning, we inform and educate individual people. We inform and educate travel companies about the reality of animal tourism.”

Raising Awareness of the Treatment of Dolphins

When asked what he would say to educate people about the treatment of animals in captivity, Ben Pearson reveals that, “When I ask people how long a dolphin lives for, they say ‘10 years, 15 years maybe?’ Dolphins live for 50 years in captivity, which is something a lot of people don’t realise.” 

Dolphins in captivity are highly intelligent animals who live in small, chlorinated pools a world away from the wild. Dolphins in the wild have the freedom to engage in their natural behaviours; diving deeply, foraging, exploring and hunting for food. 

Ben Pearson casts a light on the inhumane treatment of dolphins in captivity, “What‘s the worst thing we do to someone when they are guilty of the worst crime? We incarcerate them, we deny them their liberty.” 

“The idea that a dolphin could live for 50 years in a barren pool is shocking. That is essentially what we are doing to these dolphins at SeaWorld and they have committed no crime.” 

World Animal Protection is working to change the course for dolphins in captivity, beyond making individuals and travel companies aware of the risks dolphins face in captivity. 

The ingredient for bringing about long-term change, is encouraging marine parks to change their behaviour. 

Focus on Solutions

To make a transition away from dolphin captivity, World Animal Protection works directly with marine parks. This involves approaching them with their concerns and what they can do to make a change, getting their supporters to write to them and making an effort to speak to them. 

Ben Pearson’s first campaign with World Animal Protection was encouraging Dolphin Marine Conservation Park, formerly known as Dolphin Marine Magic to better the lives of dolphins in captivity.

For Pearson, “It was an early victory, it yielded results and we have been building on that ever since.” 

On Thursday the 14th of March, Dolphin Marine Conservation Park announced that it will end captive breeding at its Coffs Harbour location.

Ben Pearson supports their decision, “Dolphin Marine Conservation Park has been great, we have been talking to them for two years now and they have decided to join us in investigating the feasibility of a sea sanctuary for their dolphins.”

A challenge that World Animal Protection is currently facing is ending captive dolphin breeding at Sea World, one of Australia’s largest captive dolphin venues. 

Sea World is the only remaining venue in Australia where captive dolphin breeding takes place.  

Sea World is yet to recognise that the acceptability of keeping dolphins in captivity is declining. World Animal Protection have reached out to them with no avail, “Sea World in the Gold Coast doesn’t respond to our letters, which is disappointing.”

World Animal Protection hopes to achieve a better future for captive dolphins at Sea World by mobilising support through campaigns and petitions.

An element which is integral to changing the practices of marine parks, is collaborating with other organisations to show the power of many. 

Communiteer Supports A Better Future for Dolphins

Communiteer values being a supporter of World Animal Protection and we join them on their mission to move the world to protect animals, while encouraging our supporters to influence Sea World via our online digital volunteering platform. 

We collaborate with World Animal Protection and Ben Pearson on our platform by creating a community of supporters for them, who can work together to further their cause.

To take meaningful action for dolphins in captivity, we invite you to sign World Animal Protection’s online petition to ensure the Queensland Government bans captive breeding at Sea World and begins working on a sea sanctuary for dolphins who can’t be released into the wild.

At Communiteer, we are proud signatories who hope that our actions can put animal protection on the global agenda.

ben pearson

Written by Annie Renouf, Content Writer at Communiteer

Recent Articles

Youth volunteering

Join the Revitalisation of Youth Volunteering

by | Aug 10, 2023 | Corporate Volunteering,Student Volunteering | 0 Comments

Happy National Student Volunteer Week 2023!  This is the sixth time we've celebrated this annual event to recognise youth volunteering, but it certainly has a different...

National Student Volunteer Week 2023: Give, Grow Belong

by | Aug 4, 2023 | Student Volunteering | 0 Comments

Coordinated and delivered nationally by Volunteering Queensland since 2013, National Student Volunteer Week 2023 is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the...

engaging students in volunteering enabled.vip gary allen

The Value of Engaging Students in Volunteering – Gary from Enabled.vip

by | Aug 4, 2023 | Not-For-Profit Management,Student Volunteering | 0 Comments

At Communiteer, we aim to kickstart for students the lifelong journey of giving back. The fresh perspective, innovative ideas, and boundless enthusiasm that students...

corporate volunteering program

Employee Volunteering is Motivated by Believing in Collective Action

by | Mar 6, 2023 | Corporate Volunteering | 0 Comments

On the one hand, there is growing interest and demand for employee volunteering, especially from the consumer market. Many see it as a valuable way to make a positive...

corporate volunteering program corporate volunteering ideas

5 Surefire Ways to Kickstart your Corporate Volunteering Program

by | Mar 3, 2023 | Corporate Volunteering | 0 Comments

Is your organisation early on in building your corporate volunteering program? While corporate volunteering programs can bring numerous benefits to the community, the...

Platform Release 2.3

Newest Additions – Platform Release 2.3

by | Feb 15, 2023 | Product Update | 0 Comments

What in the world?! Platform Release 2.3? Welcome to the platform release 2.3, the first of 2023…. 2023 how did that happen?Best not think about it!Hope you all had a...