For those of us who have ever been to Ocean 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 (圈养).
According to a recent study though, we needn’t think like that. The study, which was published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, was led by scientist.
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 let 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 from the water during training and their curious approaches to the edge of the pool appeared to be enthusiastic,” wrote BBC News science correspondent 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 to 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】In what way is Clegg and her team’s research special?| A．The research lasted for over three years. |
| B．Live dolphins were studied in this research. |
| C．Scientists tried to view things from dolphins’ perspective. |
| D．The research was conducted in a dolphinarium. |
| A．From dolphin’s behaviours. | B．From dolphins’ noises. |
| C．From statistics of the research. | D．From BBC’s reports. |
| A．Dolphins would be badly treated. |
| B．Dolphins could never return to nature. |
| C．Dolphins could die in a short time. |
| D．Dolphins would be forced to perform. |
| A．Casual. | B．Concerned. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Positive. |
