Marine mammal park

[citation needed] The second marine mammal park, then called an oceanarium, was established in St. Augustine, Florida in 1938.

[citation needed] It was initially a large water tank used to exhibit marine mammals for filming underwater movies, and only later became a public attraction.

[2] Between the 1970s and the 1990s, technical advances and the public's increasing interest in aquatic environments prompted a shift to large marine mammal parks with cetaceans (mostly orcas and other species of dolphin) as attractions.

On July 13, 1865, P. T. Barnum's museum in New York City caught fire and killed two captive beluga whales, which were boiled alive in their tank.

[3] Many animal welfare groups, such as the WSPA, consider keeping whales and dolphins in captivity a form of abuse.

Although sizable pools for whales and dolphins require an extraordinarily technical and financial expenditure and are thus very difficult to maintain, many marine mammal parks endeavour to improve the conditions of captivity and attempt to engage in public education as well as scientific studies.

[4] In 2010, the practice of keeping animals in captivity as trained show performers was heavily criticized when a trainer was killed by an orca whale at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida.

Marine mammals in captivity have demonstrated behavioral changes in response to the death or separation of a pod mate or family member.

[10] Dolphins in their natural habitat spend approximately 80% of their time deep underwater and swim about 40 miles per day.