Introduction

Every day, the caring professionals working at Alliance-accredited marine life parks, aquariums, and zoos create extraordinary opportunities for visitors to see and learn about dolphins and other marine mammals. The reward for these dedicated men and women is witnessing how these fascinating animals inspire both children and adults to care about marine mammals and their ocean environments.

The information they impart to guests about the global challenges marine mammals face from climate change, pollution, development, and declining prey leads to a strong, active commitment to marine mammal conservation.

Educators, trainers, animal care specialists, and veterinarians all have their own unique stories to tell. They embrace the animals in their facilities as they would family and dedicate their days to keeping them happy, healthy, and long-lived.

Saving Stranded Marine Mammals One by One

Many Alliance members work in partnerships with their governments and rescue orphaned, injured, sick, or starving marine mammals that strand on beaches throughout the world. Members assist with animals that have died on the beach; oversee necropsies to find the cause of death, which gives clues to the conditions in our oceans; and rescue those who need a helping hand before being returned to the sea. It is not uncommon for members to provide around-the-clock veterinary care to these animals. It’s a costly and staff-intensive activity, but helping a healthy animal back to the ocean is the reward.

Alliance members know marine mammals. A defining characteristic of these professionals is their eagerness to share their knowledge. Atlantis Paradise Island (Nassau) was one of three hosts of a workshop aimed at improving the response to marine mammal strandings in the Bahamas. Two other Alliance members on the islands, Dolphin Encounters (Nassau) and Dolphin Experience (Freeport) participated in the workshop, where helpful stranding-response equipment was distributed and a new public hotline announced.

Babies, Babies and More Babies

Through training and experience, Alliance members help many orphaned animals survive. Orphan baby manatee Kiandra is rehabilitating at Miami Seaquarium (Florida) after being rescued in the summer of 2008. She arrived weighing only 65 pounds and was bottle fed by animal care staff around the clock. The facility is one of three manatee hospitals in Florida and hopes to reintroduce Kiandra to her natural environment. SeaWorld San Diego (California) created a specially-developed infant formula of fish oil and whipping cream that was a feast for two undernourished, orphaned seal pups the facility rescued. Vancouver Aquarium’s rescue center (Canada) gave 24- hour care to an only months old harbor porpoise weighing just 12.7 kilograms, a rare animal for Canadian waters. Staff designed a sling to help her swim and she is gaining weight with encouraging results.

It took a year before a stranded pilot whale calf named Nazaré learned to eat solid food at Lisbon Zoo (Portugal). Pilot whales are not a species usually found in aquariums, providing a rare opportunity to learn about the animals’ physiology. Through careful training, Nazaré has now learned medical behaviors that help the zoo’s staff document medical and nutritional data that may help save another stranded pilot whale in the future.

Everyone loves a happy ending, and no one more than the aquarium staff responsible for the good news. When Noodle Head, a rehabilitated young harbor seal, was released by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation, the story captured local and national media and was the Israeli National Geographic Kids featured story in the April 2008 edition.

Providing Foster Care

Alliance members often help out by providing homes for nonreleasable marine mammals, including some special needs animals. Gulf World Marine Park (Florida) serves as the area coordinator for the U.S. Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and, over the years, its team has come to the aid of hundreds of marine animals. As a result, it now has a family of rough-toothed dolphins _ unable to survive in the ocean _ rarely found in a park or aquarium.

Mystic Aquarium (Connecticut) made headlines in 2008 for giving a home to Astro, a stranded sea lion rescued just after birth. He was nursed back to health by a California stranding center, but returned to shore the three times he was released back to the sea. After each release attempt, Astro waddled up to the beach and basked in lots of publicity, according to media coverage. The Alliance member surveys its members often to help the U.S. government efficiently find homes for animals like Astro either in the U.S. or abroad.

In the last decade, approximately 40,000 marine mammals have been reported stranded by the U.S. regional stranding network. Marineland’s Dolphin Conservation Center (Florida) and the Georgia Aquarium identified a need to help marine mammals that strand on the coasts of Georgia and northern Florida. Together they built a new marine animal rescue, care, and research facility in St. Augustine, which was recently completed. In addition to helping stranded marine mammals, the facility will also fund studies of ocean habitats to document pressures on the animals in the wild, such as pollution and disappearing prey.

In 2008 Alliance members also came to the rescue of California sea lions that were preying on endangered salmon in the northwest U.S. If it were not for zoos and aquariums that offered to take these mature, adult male animals, the sea lions culled from this area would have been euthanized. SeaWorld San Diego and Orlando (Florida) each provided homes to three animals and used their exemplary husbandry and training skills to assimilate the animals successfully into their current collections.

Research with a Heart

Alliance member facilities have invested millions of dollars and professional resources in important research studies that benefit animals in the care of member facilities and in the wild. The studies contribute significantly to endangered species management; to species survival in the wild; and to what we know about marine mammal biology, physiology, reproduction, and behavior.

Animals in Alliance member facilities provide researchers with unparalleled opportunities to acquire data that would be difficult or impossible to obtain in the field. Baseline data from blood, fecal, and urine testing at Alliance member facilities allow veterinarians to diagnose diseases in stranded marine mammals and save the lives of many sick and injured animals. Because zoological parks and aquariums offer researchers unique opportunities to study marine mammals, the Alliance co-sponsored a workshop last year hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium. Attendees discussed ways to help researchers better connect with Alliance members that provide access to their collections for science.

Demonstrating our Commitment

Members’ commitment to wildlife research is exemplified by the new center at Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo (Illinois) established to advance the science of “animal-directed” care. Studies conducted at the Center for the Science of Animal Well-Being _ a first for zoos in North America _ will be multi-disciplinary and integrative, and will include the training of future scientists.

Members’ commitment to conservation is illustrated by Indianapolis Zoo’s (Indiana) $100,000 Indianapolis Prize _ the largest monetary award for animal conservation _ which is a significant component of the zoo’s mission to inspire local and global communities to celebrate, protect, and preserve our natural world.

The respect for members’ marine mammal expertise was acknowledged this year when U.S. government officials invited Dolphin Quest (Hawaii) to join them in monitoring, assessing, and mitigating the inappropriate behavior of wild dolphins that were spending time near a Hawaiian aquaculture facility. People were unwittingly habituating the dolphins to stay in the area by feeding them, which is illegal.

Keeping our Animal Friends Happy and Healthy

Much of Alliance member research is based on the initiative of staff to continually provide their animals with exceptional care and behavioral enrichment, thus insuring long and healthy lives. The John G. Shedd Aquarium (Illinois) has designed and fabricated unique devices, including a customized vest for use with portable diagnostic ultrasound and video recording equipment that monitor health and pregnancies. The aquarium also developed an interactive enrichment device that is activated by dolphin sonar clicks. These advancements came through innovative collaborations with Northwestern University. Shedd’s veterinarian is now a clinical assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s medical school, which showcases Alliance members’ interest in utilizing human technologies to benefit their animals.

Alliance research has led to many improvements in diet and health care for marine mammals and these advances have resulted in dolphins living longer in member parks and aquariums than in the wild. An Associated Press article distributed to newspapers in May 2008 highlights the growing focus on diet and nutrition for animals in zoos and aquariums, likening it to the “fitness craze among humans.” Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo and Indianapolis Zoo were featured in the article.

Cooperative Projects Find Creative Solutions

The Dolphin Experience staff designed a special dolphin wetsuit for research on dolphin heart rates, a study at their facility undertaken by scientists at the University of California Santa Cruz. The work will provide baseline physiological data for healthy dolphins and help animal care professionals use modern, preventative medicine techniques to benefit wild dolphins in distress as well as animals in public display facilities.

The Mirage Dolphin Habitat (Nevada) is partnering with a local university and funding two interns to work on research projects. One project uses a zebra fish colony to investigate a human disease, Williams Syndrome. The second project funded by the Mirage studies a juvenile male dolphin’s social behavior in a maternal group and how it relates to his behavior when introduced into a male social grouping.

The Alliance publishes a bi-annual Research Report that includes descriptions of ongoing member research in the fields of conservation biology, comparative biology, and animal stewardship. This impressive summary of studies is available on the Alliance Web site at www.ammpa.org/AMMPA2008ResearchReport.pdf.

Getting out the Message

Alliance member facility staffs practice what they preach and it comes from the heart. Not only do educators teach about ways to protect the environment and marine mammals, who often bear the brunt of negative human activities affecting their habitats, they walk the talk. Member parks and aquariums host educational and engaging Earth Day, Beach Clean-up, and World Ocean Day celebrations to bring their message home; design exhibits that focus on saving the marine environment; and incorporate green practices into their operations. Last year alone, Walt Disney World Resort staff replaced more than 100,000 light bulbs with energy efficient products; recycled 39 tons of electronics, metals, and other materials; and changed to bio-fuels where possible.

At the request of the Mexican Government, the Dolphin Experience staff has been visiting the Yucatan Peninsula for a series of workshops with Mexican fishermen to teach them about the importance of protecting dolphins from fishing nets and the need for proper management of local natural resources.

Because of the Moorea Dolphin Center in French Polynesia, almost 11,000 children on the island aged three to 10 _ a phenomenal 80 percent of that age group _ have participated to date in free education programs about dolphin and sea turtle conservation. The center also helped fund the nonprofit foundation Te mana o te moana, which has created a sea turtle toolkit for school children. The toolkit will be distributed free in all French Polynesian schools and French overseas territories and a DVD in both French and English will get even wider distribution.

Educating the Public about Saving our Oceans

Climate change had a frightening effect on marine mammals in 2008 as sea ice melted at an alarming rate. The Alliance supported the protection of polar bears under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In addition, the Alliance Education Committee created a new Ocean Literacy Reference Guide. Alliance educators worldwide are using this collection of ocean messages to help the public understand the importance of the oceans to all living things and how human actions are hurtful to marine mammals in the wild. The messages focus on the effects of noise in the ocean, marine debris, climate change, and the dangers of interacting with marine mammals in the wild. The guide is on the Alliance Web site at ammpa.org/_docs/OceanLiteracyGuide.doc.

Zoomarine partnered with groups in Portugal on the first Iberian effort to engage the public on the issues of climate change, participating in a series of school outreach activities for grades five to nine. Zoomarine also partnered with other organizations in support of Portugal’s National Environment Olympics and related outreach programs _ a project Portugal’s government describes as one of the most important initiatives to actively engage students about environmental challenges.

When Parade magazine ran a column in 2008 titled “Can our oceans survive?” it opened with the effects of our deteriorating oceans on marine mammals and described education efforts by Atlantis in the Bahamas.

The Alliance Education Committee also developed a fun ocean quiz, which is a great way to help our professionals better understand what our audiences know about dolphins and other marine mammals. After all, the more we all know about oceans and the marine mammals that live in them, the better job we can do in making choices to protect them. The quiz can be found at www.zoomerang.com/Survey/surveyintro. zgi?p=WEB2275FJEHTDB.

Don’t Interact with Marine Mammals in the Wild!

Interacting with marine mammals in the wild is an especially serious topic for Alliance professionals, who understand and want to help the public appreciate the dangers of feeding or swimming with dolphins in our ocean and rivers or disturbing a pinniped rookery. Viewing wildlife in its natural habitat can be a wonderful and educational experience. While it is tempting to feed a wild animal _ an act that seems so innocent and harmless _ it can have deadly consequences for the animals and can place people in real danger. In anticipation of the increased number of boaters who would be out on the water over the 4 July 2008 holiday, Gulf World reached out to the media about the harm caused by feeding dolphins and a local television station and newspaper ran the story over the holiday weekend.

While each and every Alliance member emphasizes to guests the dangers of interacting with marine mammals in the wild, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, supported by the Chicago Zoological Society and Mote Marine Laboratory, often takes the lead in collaborative efforts to raise awareness about the problem. In 2008 the Sarasota program, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund produced and distributed the Dolphin Friendly Fishing and Viewing Tips card. The Alliance posts a guide to responsible wildlife watching on its Web site at http://www.ammpa.org/doc_watchablewildlife.html.

Alliance members and other thoughtful organizations joined the U.S. government this year to help fund a Public Service Spot featuring an animated dolphin in a rehabilitation facility discussing how he needs people to stop feeding him so he can “kick the habit.” The PSA will be rolled out in 2009 with an emphasis on areas where feeding dolphins in the wild remains a chronic conservation and management problem. www.dontfeedwilddolphins.org

Cooperative Projects Explode the Reach of the Message

Another cooperative project of the Education Committee is with Kid Guides, an Emmy-award television program, whose two “kid hosts” visit zoos, aquariums, museums, and other locations of interest to children. In addition to episodes that feature various Alliance members such as the Shedd, Georgia, and Vancouver Aquariums, the Alliance joined the TV production company in support of a National Science Foundation grant through which funding would be available to teach students how to video tape animals at aquariums and zoos to complement Kid Guides’ programs at those facilities.

Alliance educators are active supporters of the National Marine Educators Association. In 2008, the Alliance presentation to NMEA showcased the educational messages developed by a host of Alliance educators aimed at taking California’s Thank You Ocean campaign international.

The Alliance Goes International

While the Alliance has from its inception had a strong international membership, in 2008 the Alliance established an office in Brussels, Belgium, and took a more active role in international organizations that are concerned about marine mammals.

The Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), a group headquartered in Bonn, Germany, that oversees a multilateral agreement among governments aimed at the conservation of migratory species and their habitats. CMS and the Alliance recognize that the two organizations pursue common goals for the conservation of ecosystems and the protection of migrating species. The agreement provides for enhancing the communication and cooperation between CMS and the Alliance.

The Alliance international counsel and an Alliance Board member attended conferences and committee meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2008. In addition, the international counsel monitors the activities of other organizations, such as the International Whaling Commission, and attends meetings where global decisions about marine mammals are made, affording the opportunity to share Alliance member expertise about marine mammals.

Summary

The marine mammals cared for in Alliance-accredited facilities are intriguing animals that inspire both adults and children to care more about marine life conservation. The professional staff members working in Alliance facilities are dedicated to the animals and provide them with exemplary care based on the Alliance’s accreditation standards, and they collaborate to share their extensive knowledge. As a result, Alliance members play a unique and unrivaled role in international marine mammal education, research, conservation, and stranding networks that help protect marine mammals globally.

Members of the Alliance

Atlantis, Paradise Island
Chicago Zoological Society’s
Brookfield Zoo
Discovery Cove
Disney's Animal Programs at
The Seas
Dolphin Connection
Dolphin Discovery Cozumel
Dolphin Discovery Puerto Aventuras
Dolphin Discovery Isla Mujeres
Dolphin Encounters
UNEXSO Dolphin Experience
Dolphin Quest Bermuda
Dolphin Quest Hawaii
Dolphin Quest Oahu
Dolphin Research Center
Georgia Aquarium
Gulf World Marine Park
Dolfinarium Harderwijk Holland
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
Indianapolis Zoo
Lisbon Zoo
Marineland’s Dolphin Conservation
Center
Miami Seaquarium
Minnesota Zoological Gardens
The Mirage Dolphin Habitat
Moorea Dolphin Center
Mystic Aquarium
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Navy Marine Mammal Program
WCS New York Aquarium
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
SAIC BioSolutions Division
Sea Life Park Hawaii
SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Diego
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Tampereen Sarkanniemi Oy
Texas State Aquarium
Theater of the Sea
Vancouver Aquarium
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science
Center Foundation
Zoomarine Italy
Zoomarine Portugal

Professional Members

Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums
European Association for Aquatic Mammals
International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine
International Marine Animal Trainers Association

Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums
2850 Ranch Reserve Lane
Westminster, Colorado 80234
+1 720.887.5921 • ammpa@aol.com • www.ammpa.org