Happiness of dolphins

For those of us who’ve ever been to a marine(海洋的) park, the best part was probably seeing the beautiful and friendly dolphins.

And the luckier people among us may have even had the chance to swim with these amazing creatures.

At the same time, however, we can’t help but think that these animals would be happier in the wild, rather than be forced to perform for humans in captivity(囚禁).

According to a recent study though, we needn’t think like that.

The study, which was published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, was led by scientist Isabella Clegg, who carried out her research at a dolphinarium(海豚馆) in France.

As the first of its kind, the study’s aim was to look at captivity from the animals’ point of view, according to BBC News.

Over the course of three years, Clegg and her team put together a series of experiments to figure out how captive dolphins felt about their lives.

“We wanted to find out what activities in captivity they like most,” she told BBC news.

There were three kinds of experiment: one in which the dolphins were left alone, one in which toys were added to their pool, and one in which a human played with the dolphins.

It was found that of the three types of experiment, the dolphins seemed to enjoy playing with humans the most.

“Their leaping(跳跃) from the water during training, and their curious approaches to the edge(边沿) of the pool appeared to be enthusiastic(热情的).” wrote BBC News science correspondents Victoria Gill.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean dolphins are happier in captivity than they are in the wild.

According to wildlife and nature platform One Green Planet, being raised in captivity could actually be harmful for dolphins.

“By being born into captivity, they will never learn the skills necessary to survive in the wild. This means that any animal that is born in captivity can never be sent back into the wild,” it wrote on its website.

But while this may be true, at least it seems that captive dolphins still enjoy happy moments with humans.

【小题1】What can we learn about the study on captive dolphins?

A．It was carried out in a dolphinarium in the UK.

B．It was the first study on captivity’s influence on animals.

C．It compared the behavior of captive dolphins and wild dolphins.

D．It studied the feelings of captive dolphins.

【小题2】According to the study, the dolphins were happiest when they were playing ______.

A．with toys.	B．with humans.
C．by themselves.	D．with other sea animals.

【小题3】What problems might dolphins have if they are born in captivity?

A．They may not be able to survive in the wild.

B．They may be less healthy than wild dolphins.

C．They may live an unhappy and lonely life among humans.

D．They might be unwilling to return to the wild.