Nat'l Aquarium Unveils Plans For Dolphin Sanctuary

BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) -- The National Aquarium has announced that it will send captive dolphins to a seaside sanctuary.

Amy Yensi reports the dolphins will be moving from their Inner Harbor exhibit to a sanctuary at least 10 times the size of their current home.

The National Aquarium has kept and cared for dolphins for 25 years but soon the aquatic marine mammals will have a new home. The aquarium plans to build the first dolphin sanctuary in North America.

"We really want to make sure we're seeing to their best interest, to their welfare," said National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli.

The protected habitat is set to be completed by the year 2020. Once it's done, the aquarium's eight dolphins will be moved there.

Racanelli says the seawater sanctuary will be at least 10 times larger than the current 1.3 million gallon exhibit and will allow the dolphins to express natural behaviors, form social groups and will resemble their natural environment.

"Birds, fish, plants, the ability to tease a startled crab at the bottom by living in that settling, which you can't really replicate here," he said.

Animal rights groups like PETA have long protested the captivity of dolphins. In a statement, they applaud the aquarium's decision to "put them back into the ocean where they belong."

If you want to see the dolphins, you still can. They will be kept at the aquarium until the sanctuary is completed.

"Somebody has to take responsibility and what better place than the aquarium?" said Richard Flora.

"I think it'll be nicer for them and people can still see them so it's kind of a win-win situation," said Caroline Smith.

A possible win for the animals that have attracted visitors to our city for two and a half decades.

Aquarium officials are still trying to find the best possible location for the sanctuary. It will have a full-time staff.