By Erin McKinney
Tackling tough questions requires a sharp mind. So that’s why Dolphin Research Center’s Doctor Kelly Jaakkola is the woman for the job.
One of the most-asked questions by zoological supporters and detractors alike is how zoos and aquariums contribute to and shape the global conservation landscape. At the 2015 IMATA Conference, Jaakkola answered those questions.
Her talk is 17 minutes of focused, scientific gold.
Jaakkola opened her presentation by pointing out that facilities, like the Dolphin Research Center, provide an opportunity to perform research that can’t be done in the wild. Research in perception, physiology and cognition are areas Jaakkola touched on. She said other research assessing dolphin health with passive hearing, ultrasounds and diagnostic tests are done at these facilities.
“Before we had dolphins in zoological facilities, we didn’t know the basics about them, the fact that they have echolocation, what’s their hearing range, what’s their gestation,” Jaakkola says in her presentation. “The vast majority of what we know about dolphin cognition, communication, physiology, and perception have all been learned from studies in zoological facilities.”
Not only is this critical for basic research, it actually forms the basis for conservation studies and enforcement.
But Jaakkola doesn’t stop at research. She actively takes on some of the most misunderstood (and often manipulated) facts about life for dolphins in zoological facilities.
“One of the things you hear is that the dolphins are ‘forced to work all day’ and should be ‘retired to sanctuaries,’” she explains “But while it is true that our dolphins participate in sessions, from an animal care perspective, these are positive experiences.”
She goes on to explain that dolphin sessions and “shows” in modern marine mammal facilties are voluntary. They are physically, mentally and socially positive. The activity never stops an animal from getting all its food throughout the day. In a positive reinforcement scenario, all animals receive all their food regardless of their participation.
The myth busting doesn’t end there. Jaakkola rounds out her critique of anti-zoo claims with a statistical examination of lifespan data for dolphins and killer whales and a discussion of public myths regarding dolphin cognition and intelligence.
“There is a disconnect between what science knows about a particular subject and what is told to the public,” she explains. “And the goal of zoo and aquarium professionals is to bridge that gap with reliable science, and use the new understanding to create conservation minded individuals.”
Jaakkola’s presentation blew the crowd and judges away at IMATA, earning the second place award in Education and Conservation, as well as an honorable mention for the People’s Choice vote.
Stay tuned here at AwesomeOcean.com for more coverage from the 2015 IMATA Conference. Visit IMATA.org and learn how you can attend the 2016 conference.