According to a study recently published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, dolphins have similar personality traits to humans – curiosity and sociability being among the two found. That being the case, why are these sentient mammals still being confined to barren tanks.
Commencing in 2012, researchers at the University of Hull observed dolphins at several captive facilities across eight countries, including Mexico, France, USA, Curacao, Cayman Islands, Bahamas and the Netherlands, assessing each dolphin’s personality using questionnaires given to staff from each facility that worked closely with the animals. Dr Blake Morton, a psychology lecturer at the University of Hull and the lead author of the study, told The Guardian newspaper that dolphins were ideal subjects for this kind of study because, like primates, they are intelligent and social. Reportedly the first study of its kind looking at where the personalities of human beings and dolphins converge, results showed similarities in some areas, however, Dr Morton emphasised that although the personalities of dolphins had been shown to be similar to humans, they were not identical.
Often regarded as one of Earth’s most intelligent animals, this latest study raises further concerns on why the capture of dolphins from the wild continues each year for public display and why thousands of dolphins are currently still held in zoos, aquaria and marine parks across the world for entertainment. There is absolutely no reason that the continued activity of confining intelligent marine mammals in captivity can be justified.
