Costa Rica Swim-with-the-Dolphins Attractions

The HSUS

A dolphin in clear waters.

The news is all good here: After a brief scare that a dolphinarium featuring dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) might be constructed—with the support of the president and his wife, no less—local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were successful in stopping the proposal. The NGOs invited The HSUS/HSI to give a public presentation on captivity (attended by more than 100 people), which was instrumental in persuading the president's wife to drop her support of the DAT proposal. These NGOs also succeeded in having the Costa Rican legislature pass sweeping and positive environmental legislation on the management of dolphin captures (prohibited), whale watching (strong regulations), and marine protected areas. Costa Rica now has the strongest laws in the region regarding the capture and display of marine mammals.

With HSUS/HSI sponsorship, the local NGOs, including Fundacion Promar, have held several whale watching workshops to train operators how to behave around whales and dolphins in order to minimize impacts on the animals. They also were successful in getting Costa Rica to return to the International Whaling Commission in 2007 as a full voting member. The Costa Rican Commissioner voted in favor of whale protection and against a resumption of commercial whaling.