Has anybody done the swim encounter at Dolphin Cove? Would like to know your thoughts on it as well as the facility itself. I don't know anything about it except for what I saw on the website. Thanks in advance for your comments and thoughts.

Message: I would ask you to please reconsider the dolphin swim. They are incredibly cruel. I did it once and was sorry ever since. No matter how clean or nice it looks, more than half of the dolphins die within 60 to 90 days of capture. <BR>In order to make an informed decision, please visit:<BR><BR>http://dolphinproject.org/ <BR><BR>http://www.hsus.org/ace/11727<BR><BR>(The second site is the Humane Society of the United States' position on SWTD programs.)<BR><BR><BR>

When I visited the Dolphin Cove in July of this year, the Dolphin's looked fine and very well taken care of.<BR>I didn't do the swim encounter but I watched and everyone seemed to be having fun. There were even some little kids doing the swim encounter with their parents. <BR>The dolphins where very friendly. As soon as people appeared on the boardwalk, they started to get excited and jumping up, without the trainers even being around yet.<BR>Also, the trainers seemed to have a good relationship with the dolphins. They seemed to genuinly enjoy them and take care of them.<BR><BR>So, I don't know much about dolphins and the care they require, but these dolphins looked okay to me.

Val and Anon,<BR>At many of the places we vacation, there are swim with the dolphins programs.<BR>The dolphins look well cared for because they are commodities which make the owners of the facilities very wealthy.<BR>They get excited when they see the people because they are not fed until the people come and they perform properly. Food is withheld and they associate the people with food, not fun.<BR>Imagine sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with your entire family - aunts, grandparents, husbands, wives, sisters, children, etc. - when a group of people break into your house and round up all of you they can. Some escape. The rest of you are forced into cars and split up from your familiy, forced to eat food you wouldn't normally eat and to learn tricks to perform for other's amusements. More than 1/2 of you die within 60 days.You never see the rest of your family again.<BR>That's what happens at the dolphin swim programs...<BR>

AMEN! Please dont frequent these places. Put them out of business. It's a money-making venture exploiting innocent WILD animals.

our kids did the dolphin swim in ocho Rios when we were in Jamaica in July. Our 13 year old daughter thought it was incredible. However, like so many others on this board, I had a VERY hard time with this. I didn't do the swim--only had the kids do it since they begged and begged. I, too, think capturing dolphins for these money making parks is completely wrong. While the kids loved it, I still felt guilty and wouldn't have them do it again. Dolphin Cove itself is a very nice property, but the dolphin area is rather small (another thing that made me sad). I can't deny my kids had a fabulous time, but it's all a matter of how you personally feel about this.

It's OCHO RIOS, not OCHOS RIOS!!!!!

Just a note to let everyone know that we did the dolphin touch. It was a good experience and the trainers were very knowledgeable. We had a good time and the cove itself is very pretty.

Thanks for topping this Yvonne - you insensitive bitch.<BR>Maybe someone else can learn from the other poster's experiences that this is NOT the thing to do.<BR>People give you the info to see why something is WRONG and you go ahead and do it anyway.<BR>What a selfish asshole you are.

Thanks for the websites. They're very informative. I find it hard to believe that anyone that reads that information would then give money to a group that captures these animals. Its inhumane at best.

I cannot believe how some of you people are reacting to the Dolphin swim. Get a grip...and a life. Do you people sweep the ground with a broom as you walk to your car every morning to avoid injuring ants also? Try banning the mouse trap...that's insensitive too. The Dolphin swim is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.

Jillian,<BR><BR>Perhaps you need a trip to the wizard so you can get a heart, you obviously don't have one.

Deborah<BR>I have tried to understand your philosphy regarding this matter, but cannot understand what the differance is between a Dolphin Cove and an animal zoo. Are you against zoo's also? This is a sincere question, not trying to be a smart butt.

cd,<BR>Since you say your question is sincere, I'll give you my take on it (although you did not ask me <BR>To me, the main differences between the two are:<BR><BR>most of the animals in the zoos are born in captivity and many are part of efforts to regenerate an endangered species. e.g, in 1965 there were 75,000 black rhinos worldwide - now there are fewer than 3,500 vs. dolphins are almost always captured from the wild and taken from their pods - which are comprised of extended family units. (Almost all are dry-transported hundreds or thousands of miles)<BR><BR>dolphin swim programs are 95% for-profit groups, whereas most zoos are .orgs (non-profits) or government programs.<BR><BR>the dolphins are forced to perform in order to eat, and the they lose their ability to hunt on their own. Most zoo animals are not forced to perform to eat (or forced to perform at all.)<BR><BR>zoos go to great lengths to feed the type of food the animal would normally get in the wild vs. dolphins are fed dead frozen fish which they would never eat in the wild.<BR><BR>zoos have staff that are licensed and medically trained vs. dolphin programs having largely unlicensed staff with little medical training<BR><BR>the music played at the dolphin programs is very loud and confuses the dolphins sonar vs. most animals in the zoo are not forced to listen to music or any other type of stimulus which keeps them awake or intereferes in their daily life.<BR><BR>many zoos are trying hard to make an atmosphere that closely replicates the animal's environment vs. the smal concrete enclosures the dolphins are confined to that do not allow for them to engage in normal swimming.<BR><BR>These are just a few differences. I'm sure others can come up with more...

Well said Nancy.

There was no music playing at Dolphin Cove. And there were smaller fish swimming around in the cove. The fish they were being fed is the same fish we feed to our otters and eagles at our zoo. The educators gave alot of good info on dolphins and ho they live in the wild. The one that we touched had been injured by a fishing boat and they were caring for it there. I am a zoo educator and I am very protective about wildlife. Just as a side note, if you are deeply concerned about saving wild life you shuld know that 40%of all air we breathe comes from a rainforest. Aluminum cans cannot be made without destroying rainforest. At the dock in Jamaica there is a huge shaft where they mine for the aluminum materials. As it stands now there will be ZERO rainforests left in the world in 30 years if we continue to destroy them as we do now. Also, if you live in a subdivision you are probably responsible for destroying homes for many types of native wild life such as fox, racoon, possums, deer, bear, coyote, wolves, beavers, and hawks, etc. So, if you plan to save the world---save all of it.

Yvonne, <BR>We are talking about zoos vs. dolphin programs right now, not saving the rainforest.<BR>I am really disappointed that someone who professes to love animals as much as you do would still participate (and encourage others to) in this.<BR>Everything I cited in my prior e-mail is true about the vast majority of dolphin programs and you can find it on the websites I posted earlier.<BR>Do you think if they did not wrap it up in a pretty package and make it look &quot;educational&quot; you would still go?<BR>(Some still do no matter what the place looks like...)<BR>You are kidding yourself if you think 95% of these places are anything more than fast cash in someone's pockets using &quot;disposable/replaceable&quot; animals.<BR>I only thank God this revolting practice is quickly becoming illegal in most countries...

Nancy and Yvonne<BR>Have truly enjoyed reading both of your comments. Thanks for the commitment you both have, although your commitment runs on opposite sides, your knowledge helps those of us, who have no knowledge, understand and respect your opinions. We need more reasonable dialogues such as this.

Just out of curiosity have you been to Sea World? We also participated in a dolphin and sting ray touch there. And they also have the new Dolphin Cove in Florida that costs like $150 per person to go to for a day. There you actually SWIM all around with the dolphins. I do love animals and I have spent my entire life majoring in zoological and biological courses and studies. I have traveled all over the world to various zoos, wildlife parks and preserves. I have spent hundreds of hours in animal rehabilitation programs and emergency care facilities. I have been an animal professional since I began volunteering at age 15. And I am sure there are many bad programs because I have seen MANY of them. But, there are lots of good things out there too. At any rate, I was very happy with my experience.

I forgot to add that I am now 42 years old. So that is 27 years of animal care.