The Death of Dawn: On the Ethics of Florida Marine Parks

• Other Authors: Leach, Taylor L. (author), Moore, Jon (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree Grantor), Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Florida Atlantic University
• Subjects: Orca; Orcinus orca
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUHT00028; https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A41260/datastream/TN/view/The%20Death%20of%20Dawn%3A%20On%20the%20Ethics%20of%20Florida%20Marine%20Parks.jpg

Over the last 80 years, humans have enjoyed and developed a deep connection to bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) and killer whales (Orcinus orca), starting in 1938 with the opening of the world's first oceanarium to presentday with the current marine parks in Florida. We have learned an immense amount of information about the intricacies of two of the most charismatic marine mammals in the ocean, and as we learn more about these highly social creatures, the more people are demanding the immediate release of them into the wild. This, however, raises an ethical dilemma: either we release the animals into the wild, in which case they stand a very slim chance of survival, or, we continue to keep them under human care, in which case, they suffer from inadequate habitats. Includes bibliography. Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2018. FAU Honors Theses Digital Collection