Dolphin Project is requesting that Carnival Cruise Lines — Carnival Corporation & PLC end their collaborations and partnerships with the dolphin captivity industry. The dolphin captivity industry is responsible for the immense suffering and premature deaths of dolphins and other whales across the world.

It is time for Carnival Cruise Lines to stop profiting off of the backs of captive cetaceans. Carnival Cruise Lines glamorizes swim-with-dolphin programs as a ‘once in a lifetime experience’. We are requesting that Carnival Cruise Lines terminate their partnerships with all captive dolphin facilities and instead, promote local (and ethical) eco-tourism activities as part of their on-shore excursions.

In their Animal Welfare Statement, Carnival Cruise Lines states that, “As part of our vacation experience, we support sustainable tourism. We recognize that without careful management, there is the potential to cause stress to animals involved in excursions.” They also claim they will evaluate any allegations of “inappropriate animal welfare practices”. Therefore, we are asking Carnival Cruise Lines to consider our allegations against such places as Dolphin Discovery, Dolphinaris, and Cabo Dolphins — all of which they partner with for their cruises to Mexico.

We are in the possession of photos and written reports of dolphins with injuries, dolphin tanks and pools with no shade or protection from the elements, and premature dolphin deaths (including the disappearance of a calf from a Dolphinaris location in Mexico). Our team in Mexico has also filed reports with the government against these locations for water quality issues, dolphins being made to perform with injuries, lack of proper shade from the intense sun, and questionable mortality reports.

From data received from the governing bodies in Mexico, we can conclude that captive dolphins are dying in Mexico’s captive facilities from pneumonia, septic shock, fungal infection, choking, heart attacks, chronic stress, cancer, organ failure, drowning, bladder ruptures, toxicity to medicine, and blunt force trauma. Sources from within the industry have also come forward with distressing accounts about the health of dolphins in the various facilities. We have been told by those working at these facilities that dolphins have extreme lung and eye issues due to the harsh sun and chemicals they are exposed to in their tanks. We have also been informed that most of the dolphins have problems with their internal organs because of the medications they are given on a daily basis.

The conditions and truth behind what goes on at the captive facilities in Mexico does not match the standards that Carnival Cruise Lines claims to stand for.

For these reasons, we are requesting that Carnival Cruise Lines terminates all partnerships and collaborations with captive dolphin facilities. If they are truly living up to their mission of “honoring the integrity of every ocean we sail, place we visit and life we touch”, then they will honor this request and begin a new practice of partnering only with local eco-tourism.