Dolphin-Assisted Therapy not Proven

The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) is alarmed to read in the press that Dolphin Cove Ltd.  is planning to build a third captive dolphin facility in Hanover.  This facility will target children with disabilities, whose families wish to try Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT).   

DAT has been described as therapy occurring within in marine parks and dolphinariums that allow people, often children, to swim with dolphins. DAT provides focused one-on-one sessions of individualized activities with a therapist, (e.g., a speech, occupational, or physical therapist depending on the child's disability) and then allows interactions with dolphins depending on a child's correct cognitive, physical, or social-emotional response.   However, there have been no studies to suggest that DAT is effective.   

Diana McCaulay, JET’s Chief Executive Officer says, “To build a facility and import additional dolphins into Jamaica for a programme with no proven benefits, which is likely to charge up to $4,500 for a four-day programme, may exploit the needs of parents worldwide who are desperate to try any form of therapy for their children.” 

The importation of six additional dolphins for this facility may also place additional pressure on stocks of wild dolphins.   

“All the dolphins recently imported for captive facilities in Jamaica have been caught in the wild and have come from either Mexico or Cuba.  As Mexico no longer allows the exportation of dolphins we can assume that the additional dolphins will come from Cuba.  Since Jamaica may share a stock of dolphins with Cuba we may be capturing our own dolphins to fill these facilities,” Ms. McCaulay says.   

She further added, “We know little about dolphin populations in Jamaican waters and throughout the Caribbean. To continue to capture dolphins without study is poor wildlife management and can affect the viability of dolphin stocks.”