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Bibong, Korea's last captive Indo-Pacific dolphin, has successfully been freed

Bibong had been living in an aquarium for 17 years.

Photo by Flavio Gasperini on Unsplash

Efforts to release marine mammals back into the wild are proving successful.

Dolphins are one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth, capable of more complex communication and comprehension than nearly every other species. Their intelligence is one reason humans have captured dolphins and trained them for entertainment, but it's also one reason why keeping them in captivity is seen as cruel.

According to The Korea Times, Bibong, a 23-year-old Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, has just been successfully released into the wild after 17 years of captivity in an aquarium in South Korea. He is the last of his species to be freed by the Korean government after being declared endangered in 2012.

The plans for Bibong's release were announced in August and Bibong has spent more than two months training to adapt to life in the wide open ocean. Bibong is one of eight dolphins that had been kept in an aquarium on Jeju Island, but the other seven were released in 2013, 2015 and 2017. According to Korea Now, Bibong was seen refusing to obey his trainer's orders during a performance last year, "possibly due to chronic stress and pressure."

This summer, Bibong was moved to a transitional facility where he could learn to communicate with other dolphins and prepare for life in the wild. An estimated 120 Indo-Pacific dolphins live off of Jeju Island, where Bibong was originally captured in 2005.

Now that he's been released, he will be monitored by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries daily for 30 days via a tracking device attached to his fin, followed by at least five consecutive days of monitoring per month for another six months. Updates on his progress will be provided to animal rights groups, marine mammal experts and government officials, according to the Times.

Both The Korea Times and Korea Now note that a popular Netflix show, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," helped bring the plight of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin into the spotlight when the show's lead character said, "I want to see an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin near the coast of Jeju someday."

In August, Korea Now shared footage of Bibong as he was moved from the aquarium to the training facility where he has spent 70 days preparing for life in the wild:

Oceans Minister Cho Seung-hwan told The Korea Times that the most important thing for the dolphin is to live a healthy and happy life after it returns to the ocean.

"We will fortify marine animal protection policies to improve their well-being," Seung-hwan said. "The government will continue discussions with the aquarium industry to help a greater number of animals return to where they came from and belong."

The ministry is also hoping to release a beluga whale named Ruby from an aquarium in South Jeolla Province sometime late next year.

Efforts to save marine mammals from extinction have shown great potential for success. Humpback whales, for example, have made a comeback and have been taken off of endangered species lists after industrial whaling nearly wiped them out in the 20th century.

But even whales and dolphins that aren't in danger of extinction deserve to live freely in the wild whenever possible.

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Nature

Glowing dolphins off the coast of California this week are almost too magical to believe

Newport Coastal Adventures/Facebook

It may look like a scene from an aquatic version of Avatar, but it's 100% real. In surreal footage taken this week off the coast of Newport Beach, dolphins glow bright blue as they swim through the nighttime waters of the Pacific—a natural bioluminescence phenomenon that never fails to amaze.

The dolphins themselves aren't glowing. Rather, tiny bioluminescent phytoplankton light up the water around them when they are disturbed—hence the blue water in the boat's wake as well. But the effect is totally magical.

Bioluminescence is caused by an algae bloom, commonly referred to as red ride. The glowing waters are a fairly rare phenomenon in Southern California, and Newport Coastal Adventures says the bioluminescence they're seeing right now is the highest its been in years.

What a stunning reminder of just how unbelievably beautiful our world can be.


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Joe Rogan called out SeaWorld’s treatment of dolphins and whales and he makes a great point.

The 2013 documentary "Blackfish" shined a light on the cruelty that orcas face in captivity and created a sea change in the public's perception of SeaWorld and other marine life parks.

This "Blackfish" backlash nearly deep-sixed SeaWorld and led Canada to pass a law that bans oceanariums from breeding whales and dolphins or holding them in captivity. Animals currently being held in Canada's marine parks are allowed to remain as well as those taken in for rehabilitation.

Podcaster and MMA announcer Joe Rogan saluted Canada's decision on a recent episode.

"First of all, what assholes are we that we have those goddman things in captivity? A big fucking shout out to Canada because Canada, mostly probably through the noise that my friend Phil Demers has created in trying to get MarineLand shut down, Canada has banned all dolphin and all whale captivity. It's amazing. I hope the United States does it well, I hope it goes worldwide," Rogan told his guest, economist and mathematician Eric Weinstein.

Rogan has been a big anti-captivity advocate and frequently has Phil Demers, a former walrus trainer at MarineLand in Canada, on his show to discuss animal abuses at marine parks.

12-year-old makes and donates bow ties to help shelter animals find their forever homes.

"I think it's slavery, I really do," Rogan said of whale captivity. "I think it's a different kind of slavery."

While some may be taken aback by Rogan's use of the term "slavery" to describe non-humans, he makes a compelling point. There is a long history of research on dolphins that shows they rival humans, intelligence-wise. As for orcas, "If anything, since orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family, their intelligence is perhaps superior to other dolphins," Lori Marino, a Emory University neuroscientist, told NBC News.

And, like slaves, they are held captive and forced to work for someone making a considerable profit.

Two orcas that have been enslaved the longest are Lolita and Corky, both in captivity for around 50 years.

Lolita is a female orca at Miami Seaquarium who lives in a tank so pitifully small, it would now be deemed illegal. She's been held in captivity since 1970 when she shared the tank with Hugo, a male orca. Hugo died in 1980 in an apparent suicide after bashing his head against the walls of the tank.

It's save the vaquita week. What you should know about the world's most adorable and endangered porpoise.

via Piotr Domanradski / Wikimedia Commons Hugo's carcass being removed from the tank in 1980.

Corky was first captured and put on display at Marineland in California in 1969. Shortly before that park's closure in 1987, she was sold to SeaWorld and has lived there ever since.

Throughout her time in confinement, Corky gave birth to six calves, all sired by her cousin and tankmate, Orky. None of them survived. Orky died in 1988.

via Bryce Bradford / Flickr


The Great Whales - Corky's First Calfwww.youtube.com

Rogan hopes the U.S. will wise up and put an end to whale and dolphin captivity, but will it ever happen?

In 2016, the state of California banned orca shows for entertainment purposes and breeding of captive orcas. Since, SeaWorld San Diego's shows have become more educational in nature.

In 2015, California Congressman Adam Schiff proposed legislation that would prohibit breeding of captive orcas and prevent wild capture for the purpose of display. The act would ultimately phase out all orca captivity in the U.S. but has not seen much movement through Congress since its introduction.

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Canada just passed the “Free Willy” bill, making it illegal to keep dolphins and whales in captivity.

A historic win.

Canva

In a historic win for cetaceans and animal-rights activists, Canada is banning the practice of keeping whales, dolphins, and porpoises in captivity.

Remember the scene in Free Willy when the Orca who had been living in an amusement park finally leapt into the wide open ocean and the whole audience cheered? Well, that iconic scene is taking on new significance in Canada this week, as the nation's House of Commons just passed a bill making it illegal to keep dolphins, whales, and porpoises in captivity for breeding or entertainment purposes.

Bill S-203, or The Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (known colloquially as the "Free Willy Act") means anyone found capturing the animals, holding them captive, or procuring their embryos or sperm, can be fined up to $200,000.

"The passage of Bill S-203 is a watershed moment in the protection of marine animals and a victory for all Canadians," Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of the Humane Society International/Canada, said in a statement. "Whales and dolphins don't belong in tanks, and the inherent suffering these highly social and intelligent animals endure in intensive confinement can no longer be tolerated. We congratulate the sponsors of this bill and the Canadian government for showing strong leadership in responding to public will and sound science on this critical issue."



The bill makes exceptions for animals that are being rescued and rehabilitated, and for limited scientific research.

Not everyone who holds cetaceans captive are exploiting them for money or entertainment. There are legitimate research and rehabilitation reasons to temporarily keep an animal in captivity.

"A person may move a live cetacean from its immediate vicinity when the cetacean is injured or in distress and is in need of assistance," the bill states. Researchers must obtain a license from the government in order to hold a cetacean for research purposes.

The bill allows the two facilities in Canada that currently house cetaceans—Vancouver Aquarium and Marineland in Niagara Falls—to keep the animals they have as long as they do not breed them. The Vancouver Aquarium has a dolphin named Helen, and Marineland houses an Orca named Kiska and around 50 beluga whales.

According to Mongabay News, the bill was supported by animal welfare organizations like the Humane Society International/Canada, Animal Justice, Humane Canada, the Jane Goodall Institute, and Ontario Captive Animal Watch. It was also supported by cetacean experts like Lori Marino and Naomi Rose of the Whale Sanctuary Project, and Phil Demers, the former head trainer at Marineland.

It was a hard-won victory, taking four years for the bill to pass through the Canadian legislature.

The bill was first introduced to the Senate in 2015. It will now return to the Senate for "royal assent," or final approval before it officially becomes law.

Renowned marine scientist Hal Whitehead said, "The living conditions for captive marine mammals cannot compare to their natural ocean environments in size, nor in quality. We thank the federal government and all those involved in the passage of Bill S-203, so that our laws can finally align with the Canadian peoples' values and end this cruel practice."

"This is a major victory for cetaceans," Lori Marino of the Whale Sanctuary Project said in a statement. "They are among the most cognitively complex of all animals. Confining them to life in a concrete tank is truly unbearable for them."

Wilfred Moore, the senator who sponsored the bill, said, "We have a moral obligation to phase out the capture and retention of animals for profit and entertainment. Canadians are calling upon us to do better — and we have listened."

Thank you, Canada, for passing this bill protecting these magnificent creatures!

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