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Where do Aquariums get Cetaceans?

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Beastking04, 7 Apr 2016.

  1. Beastking04

    Beastking04 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I'm curious. Where and how do zoos and aquariums get Dolphins, Porpoises, and other cetaceans? Rescues? Captures? Something else? And on a different note, how do they get other marine mammals as well?
     
  2. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Like pretty much like most other larger mammalian species kept in zoos.
    I'm also curious: why do you ask?
     
  3. Hyak_II

    Hyak_II Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Well you're presenting a very broad ranging question, and Batto has given you an even vaguer answer, that is not entirely helpful, as it varies widely depending on region.

    Hopefully, this can help you out some more.

    It strongly depends on which area of the planet you are looking at.

    In North America, virtually all cetaceans are acquired either captive bred from other facilities, or as rescues that are deemed unreleasable. The same goes for most of western Europe.

    In Eastern Europe, Russia, and various areas in Asia, the middle east, and oceana, the majority of their cetaceans are acquired wild caught from either Russia or Japan. There are some dolphinariums that are making a valiant effort to breed, however many still reply on wild animals.

    In Australia, there are only two facilities holding cetaceans that have both been doing so for quite some time. One that consists solely of rescues and their offspring, and other has a variety of rescues, multiple generations of captive bred animals, and a few older wild caught animals.

    In Mexico/South America/the Caribbean, there are a wild variety of different sources for their animals. Some are wild caught (mostly from Cuba), others still are captive bred, and some come in as rescues as well.



    As for other marine mammals, once again, it strongly varies depending on species and location. In North America and Australia, virtually all other marine mammals are either rescues or captive bred. In Western Europe, virtually all are captive bred. In Asia(especially Japan), they have surprisingly good breeding success with Pinnipeds, however will source certain species wild caught, such as sirenians, if need be.

    Over most of the rest of asia and the "old world", some are captive bred, but many are collected as wild caught animals.

    And once again, in South America/Mexico/the Caribbean, the situation is very similar to their cetaceans.

    Hopefully this answers your question a little better :)
     
    Last edited: 7 Apr 2016
  4. Beastking04

    Beastking04 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Thanks for answering my question! I just was thinking how could zoos get marine mammals without catching them like the Taji incident.
     
  5. lintworm

    lintworm Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    There is a website somewhere (I forgot the link) that has a map which shows the "zoos" that sourced their animals from Taji, they mainly end up in Asia and Eastern Europe...
     
  6. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Strangely enough, hardly anyone wonders where the majority of animals other than dolphins and pinnipeds kept in public aquaria (or zoos) are from, and such helpful fellows such as Hyak_II (what did you actually do to Hyak_I ?) are rather content with vague answers to that. Oh well...#someanimalsaremoreequalthanothers...
     
  7. jayjds2

    jayjds2 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I think this is what you're thinking of.
    Ceta-Base | Captive Cetacean Database | Dolphins, Porpoises, Whales
    This has it all. If you have any question about the origin of any specific cetacean in captivity, here you go.

    Note: the few porpoises, pilot whales, and other obscurities in captivity are indeed on this website; however, there is not a list with all the facilities that have them. Instead, you would just see them listed under the park(s) that had/have them.
     
  8. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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  9. Shellheart

    Shellheart Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  10. jayjds2

    jayjds2 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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  11. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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  12. jayjds2

    jayjds2 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Probably... But I figured all of the information on there would be of interest to Beastking04 so I just linked the home page.
     
  13. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    partly the reason I specifically stated the first link was from The Dodo. However the map in The Dodo link is actually taken straight from the Ceta-Base map (in jayjds2's link).
     
  14. TheMightyOrca

    TheMightyOrca Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Some cetaceans are captured in trips that are purely for capture, not drive hunts. Beluga captures have been going on for a while in Russia, and orca captures have been going on there in the past few years.

    But if we're talking about no captures at all? There is captive breeding, though of course, you need a source of animals to breed from originally. Also, a lot of rescued cetaceans end up in captivity. In certain locations, a place might be able to source exclusively from rescues, though there would never be a guarantee of what they get.