Dolphins released from aquariums and marine parks can return to live in the ocean. Recently, researcher Mi Yeon Kim spotted a group of dolphins near Jeju Island, South Korea, among which was a particular and recognizable female dolphin.
Dolphins released from aquariums and marine parks can return to live in the ocean. Recently the researcher Mi Yeon Kim he spotted a group of dolphins near the island of Jeju, in South Korea, among which was a particular and recognizable female specimen.
It was about Sampal, a captive dolphin that was released into the ocean in 2013 along with two other specimens. He previously spent four years at Jeju's Jungman Pacific Land Marine Park. Recognizing the dolphin was easy due to the identification marks on its fins.
Sampal was spotted in the ocean with her baby. The dolphin is between the ages of 13 and 15 and now according to Denise Herzing, director and founder of the Wild Dolphin Project, its story represents a successful example of releasing dolphins that have lived in captivity.
In the case of Sampal we are not talking only about survival but above all about a real one ability to readjust to the natural environment, to live healthy and reproduce, allowing the creation of a new generation of dolphins born in their natural environment.
It is not always easy to follow the tracks of dolphins released in the ocean, but in the case of Jeju it was easy for researchers to identify a colony present in an area close to the coast particularly loved by dolphins for its crystal clear waters.
Between 1990 and 2011 Pacific Land, one of three dolphin aquariums in Jeju, illegally captured 26 specimens. Later, in 2013, the South Korean Supreme Court ordered his release. Five of the captured dolphins, including Sempal, were returned to the ocean. The other specimens captured, however, were now dead.
Sempal's liberation had been preceded by a period of re-education in order to facilitate the return to the ocean. In 2015, two other dolphins were hovered, Tasean and Boksoon. According to Jang, the researcher who spotted Sempal, dolphins that have started living in the ocean again behave identical to those of specimens that have never lived in captivity. They know how to get food, swim synchronously in groups and reproduce.
Sampal, in particular, lives in the ocean with his young, a puppy aged between 3 and 6 months. According to the researcher, the dolphins survived because they easily found their natural habitat in the place where they had previously lived.
So it lights up a hope on the possibility that the dolphins who have lived in captivity for a not too long period can return to the ocean and begin to relate to their own kind without problems.
Look this video of National Geographic dedicated to the intelligence of dolphins.
Marta Albè
Fonte foto: National Geographic
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