What is the difference between dolphins in captivity and dolphins in the wild behavior wise?
We try our best to mimic wild behaviors as much as we can. Probably the biggest difference is in survival skills. A dolphin that has been at Discovery Cove for several years would never be takes back into the wild and let go. Their chances of survival aren’t very strong, because the skills that they need to survive out in the open ocean verses the skills that they need in captivity are completely different. At Discovery Cove, we take care of their medical concerns, food and provide a safe clean environment for them. A lot of times dolphins in the ocean spend their days trying to seek these things out, so we have the opportunity to enrich them in other aspects by spending time with them making their world as enjoyable as we can for the most part. It’s very similar, we just have the opportunity to spend more time with these guys and give them the opportunity to do things that they would never have the opportunity to do in the open ocean. Do they pick a leader for the Pod? And if so, How?
