top of page

New Year’s Resolution



Since 2012, DFMX has existed to stop the exploitation of captive dolphins in Mexico, and supports the closure of all of the captive-dolphin facilities, especially in the area known as the Riviera Maya. There are more dolphin tanks in the Riviera Maya than anywhere else in Mexico. In the state of Quintana Roo, tourism is Big Business. Unfortunately, dolphins are supremely popular, as in Who doesn’t like dolphins? And that makes them supremely easy to exploit.


You can’t throw a rock without hitting a resort, and odds are good that the resort has a swimming pool full of dolphins. High season or low, they charge hundreds of dollars to Swim With Dolphins, get your Picture With a Dolphin, make Dolphins Do Tricks for You. It’s Fun For the Whole Family!

What makes Swimming With Dolphins so wrong? The same reasons that make it so rewarding! They are social, like us, they are playful, like us, they look like they are smiling, and when we look into their eyes we make a connection, because they are self-aware, like us. That ability to see ourselves in them makes interacting with them MAGICAL. They are another intelligent species we can try to connect with, so swimming with captive dolphins may be one of the most wonderful experiences of your vacation. Even, of your life.

All of that makes doing what DFMX is trying to do so difficult. On the one hand, we are demanding Mexico give up one of its most lucrative businesses, the exploitation and abuse of an animal that brings in a lot of tourist money. On the other hand, we are pleading with tourists to let go of what, for them, could be an amazing experience. Both require going against self-interests.

So how can we accomplish these goals? On our part, we must communicate, reveal, and expose. Our success is dependent upon one thing, effectively communicating with you. What keeps these facilities going is your tourist money. Without it, the supply and demand for captive dolphins goes away.

If you are still not sure WHY dolphins do not belong in captivity, there is so much information out there. There are a lot of reasons WHY, but this is not that article. This is about HOW. The goal of ending dolphin captivity is reachable, but it cannot happen without you. Which means you hold all the power – not the industry, not the government, not the resorts, you.

If you LOVE dolphins, we implore you; Choose NOT to Swim With Dolphins. Choose NOT to go to a resort that houses captive dolphins. Choose NOT to give your money to recreational areas that exploit dolphins for entertainment. Money talks, and its absence is a powerful silence.

If you RESPECT dolphins, let it go, let that MAGICAL experience go for the sake of the dolphins. They don’t want to swim with the humans, they want – like we do – to be free to live their natural lives. Be a part of the solution, not the problem, because only you can change the system.

Then continue to help us communicate this secret power to other visitors. Don’t buy a ticket. Don’t Swim With Dolphins.

Let it go; let them go.


Comments


b37653_42ad50854baf49eebd69cfe2e7867212~mv2.png
bottom of page