2011: a year of inspiring, teaching, and giving a year of inspiring, teaching, and giving there is...
TRANSCRIPT
Annual Report 2011
Contents
3 2011: A Year of Inspiring, Teaching, and Giving
4 Alliance Marine Parks Educate and Motivate
6 Giving Stranded Marine Mammals the Gift of Life
7 The Global World of Marine Mammals
8 Dolphin Tale Movie and Real-Life Miracles
9 Why Research Is So Very Important
10 Making a Dream Come True
10 Our Work Is an Act of Love
11 Members of the Alliance
2 2011
2011: A Year of Inspiring, Teaching, and Giving There is no better place to learn about our oceans—and the very special whales, dolphins, seals, sea otters, manatees, and other intriguing marine mammals that live there—than at marine parks, aquariums, and zoos.
Just ask! Opinion surveys confirm that the public understands that parks and aquariums educate children about marine mammals they may never get a chance to see in the wild (97%), and that children learn more about marine mammals visiting these facilities than in school classrooms (89%) and learn in a way that cannot be replicated by watching television programs or films (87%). (Harris Interactive® 2005)
The opportunity to experience a living animal nose-to-nose or hand-to-flipper is exciting, leaves a powerful lasting impression, and inspires conservation action. In 2011, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums’ 48 accredited zoological parks and aquariums continued their heartfelt commitment to education, animal care, conservation, scientific study, and the rescue and release of sick and injured sea life.
Marineland Dolphin Adventure S.E.A. Camp
2011 3
Alliance members reached over a million individuals
through offsite outreach programs developed
for school children, teachers, and community
groups—like Vancouver Aquarium’s AquaVan,
which for 18 years has brought small wildlife to
schools with the goal of creating future stewards
of our oceans. Tens of millions of people find facts
about the animals and conservation information
on Alliance member Web sites, urging the public
to recycle, eliminate littering, use products from
recycled and renewable resources, and conserve
energy and water. Facilities like Wisconsin’s
Oceans of Fun target regional environmental
issues and explain challenges in the wild to the
animals they exhibit.
Swim-with-dolphin and other in-water encounters
at Alliance member parks have enlightened and
delighted over four million individuals since
their inception. These interactive programs are
powerful and impactful multi-sensory learning
experiences that emphasize that each of us can be
a better steward of the environment and make a
positive difference.
New Avenues for EducationAlliance educators take advantage of technology
to promote conservation and use social
networking to reach children and adults interested
in learning about marine mammals. Dolphin Encounters, located in the Bahamas, released in
2011 an application, Dolphin Fun Facts, which can
be downloaded to iPhones and iPads free from
iTunes. It is appropriate for any age and contains
photos, videos, and information about dolphins’
natural history, behaviors, and husbandry.
Alliance Marine Parks Educate and Motivate
“Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin,” Georgia Aquarium’s TV program Discovering ocean wonders in Zoomarine Portugal education program
In 2011, nearly 45 million children and adults visited Alliance member parks and aquariums where they experienced learning through guided presentations, interactions, and graphics about marine mammals and their ocean habitats. More than two million children participated in specially-designed school programs, summer camps, and other onsite educational activities.
4 2011
Oceans of Fun promotes recycling Seeing sea stars in Vancouver Aquarium’s AquaVan outreach program
Television is a great medium for biologists,
veterinarians, and animal experts to reach
millions of viewers with conservation messages.
Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium is doing just that,
partnering with a new television series, Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin, to explore animals
in aquariums and in the wild—a program
viewed by an average 1.5 million households
on 220 ABC stations. The aquarium has also
teamed up with the Discovery Channel to
provide a live online “fisheye” view of its shark
exhibit and educate viewers about declining
shark populations around the world.
The three-year innovative education project, EU
ZOOS-XXI, which is sponsored by the European
Commission, encourages public interest in
science. Zoomarine Italy and Zoomarine Portugal are program partners, promoting the
project’s International Biological Art Contest,
an initiative that encourages conservation by
inviting illustrators, photographers, filmmakers,
and animators to express their views visually
on topics such as ecological connectivity and
endangered species.
Marineland Dolphin Adventure and Georgia Aquarium’s Conservation Field Station added
a new twist to its Seaside Eco Adventure
Camp, aimed at engaging campers in wildlife
conservation. The SEA campers participated
in a simulated rescue of a stranded dolphin,
followed by discussions about the threats to
marine mammals in the wild, the importance
of keeping our oceans healthy and safe for
the animals, and the role beach cleanups and
conservation research play in the well being of
our wildlife.
New Fact Sheet: Dolphins Live Longer in Human CareIn 2011, the Alliance Education Committee
finalized and distributed a fact sheet on
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), the
most commonly exhibited species in member
facilities. This documented, scientifically-based information about the species assures continuity and consistency within the marine mammal community. In addition to details on dolphin habitats, diets, anatomy and physiology, sensory systems, and behavior, the 26–page fact sheet references scientific studies showing that the average lifespan of bottlenose dolphins in Alliance member facilities is almost twice as long as their counterparts in the wild and that calves born in member zoological parks and aquariums have higher rates of survivability than those born in our oceans.
2011 5
Many Alliance members around the world are leaders in government-coordinated stranding programs, personally funding the rescue, rehabilitation of sick and injured marine mammals, and their release to the wild. Polling underscores that the public fervently supports these programs (94%) and the placement of animals in parks and aquariums when they are too young or too compromised to return to the sea (95%). These stories are heartwarming.
Nearly 350 stranded marine mammals—mostly dolphins—died on beaches and shorelines in the Gulf of Mexico in 2011; a few young animals barely survived. The Indianapolis Zoo is providing a home and loving care to Taz, a baby orphaned dolphin who is the delight of the staff. Florida’s Gulf World Marine Park welcomed a young dolphin that beat the odds after he was found stranded, bruised, and battered by other animals. The dolphin, Roux Brees, was named for the New Orleans Saints quarterback by the Louisiana stranding facility that nursed him back to health. Louie was also nursed back to health in
Louisiana after being found injured and covered in oil. He joined Dolphin Research Center’s family of dolphins in Florida.
After a stranded pilot whale developed scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, during its initial rehabilitation at a Florida stranding center, it was moved to SeaWorld Orlando for continued care. Experts there are using a custom-fitted brace to straighten the whale’s spine and restore use of her tail. SeaWorld contacted an orthopedic spine surgeon who consulted with the president of a prosthetics company to create the brace.
The story of Morgan, a young killer whale found emaciated and near death in Dutch waters, had a happy ending. The young whale was transported to a new home at a marine park in the Canary Islands after being successfully nursed back to health by Dolfinarium Harderwijk Holland.
In 2011, the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre broke its record for the highest number of harbor seals ever rescued in one
season. The aquarium developed a new, temporary exhibit, Rescue Stories, to tell the stories of the many animals saved by the aquarium, including a California sea lion that survived risky surgery to remove a fishing hook from his stomach.
At the request of the Bahamian government, Atlantis rescued a manatee mother and calf that were swimming in Nassau Harbor. Experts feared the endangered animals would get injured by boats; both mom and calf had recent boat strike marks on their backs.
In 2011, the Alliance established a new Veterinary Advisory Committee, formalizing veterinary expert involvement in all the organization’s policies. One important contribution was advising the U.S. government on placement of stranded dolphin calves it deems nonreleasable—positive social situations that assure they thrive.
Giving Stranded Marine Mammals the Gift of Life
Taz, the stranded dolphin given a home by the Indianapolis Zoo.
6 2011
The Global World of Marine MammalsWith its strong international membership and recognition that global issues affect all marine mammals, the Alliance is active in a number of worldwide organizations whose policies and decisions affect marine mammals. It established a Brussels office in 2007. In 2011, the Alliance continued its long-standing and active participation in the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, serving on CITES working groups reviewing live animal transport and permitting rules. Last year, the Alliance also recommended numerous changes to the Live Animal Regulations of the International Air Transport Association to ensure use of best professional practices for the air transport of all marine mammals based on Alliance members’ extensive experience and its transport standards and guidelines. The Alliance is a partner of the Convention on Migratory Species and actively monitors agreements governing the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas and the Small Cetaceans Committee of the International Whaling Convention. The Alliance’s international activities are enhanced through communication and cooperation with its professional members, organizations that include the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the European Association for Aquatic Mammals, the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, and the International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association. The Alliance in 2011 formalized a relationship with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, aimed at increasing collaboration that benefits marine mammals.
2011 7
Dolphin Tale Movie and Real-Life MiraclesThe movie Dolphin Tale brought to theaters in September 2011 the poignant story of Winter, a severely injured dolphin who was rescued off the Florida coast and received breakthrough medical care that allows her to swim with a prosthetic tail. Prompted by the movie’s opening, the news media reported on other inspiring stories of real-life medical miracles at Alliance parks and aquariums and their extraordinary compassion for stranded sick and injured marine mammals. And, Alliance veterinarians have pioneered the use of state-of-the-art human medical technologies to effectively treat marine mammals every day, often working collaboratively with physicians and medical specialists on creative solutions.
Examples include Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s adoption of a California sea lion that was shot in the face and left for dead by a fisherman. After months of rehabilitation at the California park, a surgeon donated his time to perform extensive reconstructive surgery on the animal—the first of its kind. The amputation of a dorsal fin of a Dolphin Quest Hawaii dolphin was avoided after a University of Pittsburgh medical research professor adapted the latest techniques in human regenerative medicine to treat the animal.
Veterinarians at Sea World San Diego partnered with a university medical center’s chief of nephrology to do the first successful dialysis on a dolphin. At Miami Seaquarium, the lives of three endangered Florida manatees were saved by a flutter valve developed by a physician during World War II to save soldiers dying of gunshot wounds. Veterinarians there used the technique to heal a large tear in a manatee’s lung caused by a boat strike. And Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium collaborated with gastroenterologists to remove rocks from the stomach of a stranded harp seal.
Sgt. Nevis’ life was saved by emergency surgery at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, where he is thriving today, after he was shot and left for dead by local fishermen.
8 2011
Scientists have long studied marine mammals in zoological parks and aquariums to learn about their cognition, reproduction, behavior, and physiology—information important to managing wild populations and to the care of animals in Alliance facilities. Research in aquariums and studies conducted with animals in the wild both have understandable benefits and limitations—each setting providing details often unavailable from the other environment. Scientists use baseline parameters from animals in parks and aquariums when evaluating the health of wild populations.
A study conducted by the Florida Keys’ Dolphin Research Center demonstrated that one dolphin can imitate another’s behavior without using eyesight—research that caught the public’s imagination and the media’s attention. After learning of DRC’s study, some psychologists believe the research may have implications for children with autism who typically do not imitate well. It may help experts better understand autism and create therapies for children with the disorder.
Not only do Alliance members support research with their animals, they fund many conservation projects that benefit animals in the wild. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund awarded $2 million to conservation projects around the globe in 2011; the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund awarded more than $1 million to worldwide conservation research.
With the help of almost 50 volunteers, the Virginia Aquarium undertook its 19th annual dolphin count in 2011, research that establishes baseline data important should the animals’ local habitat become threatened. Likewise, Georgia Aquarium continues to study dolphins in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon and emphasizes that marine mammals are sentinel species that provide important clues to our oceans’ health. Mystic Aquarium is a collaborator in this study, evaluating blood samples for immune function and exposure to diseases. Researchers stress that the public needs to understand the importance of reducing pollutants in our waters and connect the fact that, when you poison the ocean and its wildlife, you threaten public health.
In 2010, Alliance members nursed hundreds of turtles and birds back to health after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Last year, the Florida Keys’ Dolphin Connection, Dolphin Quest, the Georgia Aquarium, Nevada’s Mirage Dolphin Habitat and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, a partnership led by the Chicago Zoological Society, continued to support research projects aimed at evaluating the effects of the oil spill and dispersants on dolphins, establishing baseline immunologic parameters important to understanding the effects of petroleum contamination on the animals, and funding a population health assessment and satellite tracking study of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.
The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program and the National Marine Mammal Foundation, both located in San Diego, California, continue their research on how marine mammals hear and are affected by sound and how anthropogenic noise affects dolphins’ echolocation abilities. In 2011, these efforts indicated that whales and dolphins exhibit a range of responses to manmade noise, depending on its type and magnitude and the species affected. A few species appear to be particularly sensitive to virtually any noise in the ocean. Others view many sounds as a minor annoyance or generally ignore noise altogether.
Why Research Is So Very Important
Dolphin Research Center fitted dolphins with eye cups to study whether dolphins can imitate each other without using their eyesight
2011 9
Our Work Is an Act of LoveThere is one constant found each year in Alliance member facilities—the love professionals have for the whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals for which they care daily and their commitment to inspiring the public to share that love for the animals and feel a sense of personal responsibility for environmental stewardship.
This commitment is decades old. In 2011, the Brookfield Zoo celebrated its 50th year caring for dolphins. Disney’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion marked its 25th anniversary and The Walt Disney Company received the Jane Goodall Global Leadership Award for Corporate Social Responsibility for its longstanding efforts to connect children and families with nature.
We want our guests to know that they are essential partners in the important missions of zoological parks and aquariums discussed in this annual report. By choosing to visit an Alliance member facility, they make it possible to educate the public about the need to protect the animals in the wild, preserve their ocean environments, to fund and support research—much of which is only possible because of the animals for which we care—and to extend a helping hand to the thousands of marine mammals that strand on beaches worldwide every year.
Joyful moments for young cancer patients at SeaWorld San Diego
Grupo Dolphin Discovery
Making Dreams Come TrueAlliance members provide special opportunities for children with life-threatening afflictions to interact with dolphins in swim and encounter programs through organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They host disabled veterans and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder through the Wounded Warrior Project. They welcome hospital rehabilitation programs and children and adults with Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy.
In 2011, amid multiple surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, and hospital visits, a 10-year-old girl, who has struggled with a potentially fatal brain tumor most of her life and who is an aspiring dolphin trainer, had a private dolphin training session at Illinois’ Brookfield Zoo. Her mom described the experience as “one of her best days ever. Now we have a memory, a good memory to overshadow all the other things. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done.” She has also traveled to Disney World with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Patients from Rady Children’s Hospital interacted with dolphins at SeaWorld San Diego under the watchful eye of a SeaWorld trainer, who survived her own battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and understands how important it is to bring joy to young patients who underwent chemotherapy at the hospital.
The Dolphin Connection hosted the 11-year-old heart transplant recipient who is the face of New York’s proposed Lauren’s Law, aimed at increasing organ donations. After years of anxiety and worry, the family said that the cheer the dolphins brought their child was a very special and meaningful experience after a difficult recovery.
10 2011
Alaska SeaLife Center
Atlantis, Paradise Island
CZS Brookfield Zoo
Discovery Cove
Disney’s Animal Programs at The Seas
Dolphin Connection
Dolphin Discovery Cozumel
Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman
Dolphin Discovery Isla Mujeres
Dolphin Discovery Puerto Aventuras
Six Flags Mexico Dolphin Discovery
Dolphin Discovery Vallarta
Dolphin Encounters
UNEXSO Dolphin Experience
Dolphin Explorer
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 Dolphin Adventure
Members of the AllianceMiami Seaquarium
Minnesota Zoological Gardens
The Mirage Dolphin Habitat
Moorea Dolphin Center
Mystic Aquarium
Navy Marine Mammal Program
WCS New York Aquarium
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Oceans of Fun
Pittsburgh Zoo
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
2011 11
USA HeadquartersWestminster, Colorado
Brussels OfficeLasne, Belgium
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Getting a sea lion smootch at Oceans of Fun