What has a long nose but isn't an elephant? What lives in an aquarium but isn't a fish? What looks like a porpoise but isn’t? It's a dolphin! Dolphins are social creatures and love hopping around in the ocean. Should they be taken from their natural habitat? Yes and no. Yes, because they are very fun to look at and are unique animals. No, because they will be locked up in a cage the whole day. I doubt you would want to be locked up, so it's cruel to lock a dolphin up. Dolphins are very much like humans. There are many ways to look at dolphins. A dolphin can be locked up in an amusement park. On the other hand, dolphins should not be locked up, so they can swim freely in the ocean. 

Having dolphins in amusement parks is fun for visitors. In Florida at the Clearwater Aquarium, visitors can see them doing tricks. They jump out of the water, do a 360-degree spin, and fall back down. In Hawaii, there is a hotel near the dolphins. Walking about 100 paces from the hotel, you would reach the dolphin aquarium. There is also a restaurant and tables to sit and eat while looking at the dolphins. If you look to the right, you will see two pools. One pool is enormous and can hold up to 9 dolphins. The other pool is about 10 yards long and can hold up to 6 baby dolphins. While you are eating, the dolphins in both pools will do a front flip with a 90-degree spin and then go back to the water. The hotel also offers visitors the option to swim with the dolphins. There are normally two trainers. One is with you in the pool, and the second one is on the shore. The trainer in the water helps the people swimming with the dolphins. The other trainer on the shore is commanding the dolphin to jump and show off. Dolphins are unique in how they move, eat, and how they play. Seeing dolphins at an aquarium or a hotel is exciting!

However, some will argue it is not okay to have dolphins in amusement parks. One reason is they shouldn't be locked up in cages. There should be no limitations for a dolphin to roam, so they should stay in the ocean. Dolphins should be left in the ocean because they can swim freely, and they can be with their family. When dolphins are taken from their natural habitats, it can lead to anxiety and depression in just two weeks. It can even lead to death if they are left alone for over three weeks. Dolphins are social animals so they need to be free, happy, and able to play with other marine animals. Dolphins also talk to one another, especially when they are hunting for food. If they are alone in captivity, they cannot communicate while hunting for prey. When they are swimming and hunting in the ocean, the bottom of the ocean consists of sand as opposed to an aquarium, where there is rock tile on the bottom which can injure their noses while feeding. Likewise, other unfortunate events happen to dolphins when taken from their natural habitats. Trainers even cut off dolphins’ tails to get more tourists. Overall, dolphins should not be kept in amusement parks for people to see.

As seen, there are many reasons dolphins should and should not be locked up. It is safe to keep dolphins out of captivity. It is cruel to lock animals up. Just because visitors like seeing dolphins in amusement parks doesn't mean that it's good for them. This is the golden rule, but not for just humans. Dolphins are non-human persons! If a dolphin were to be locked up, they will be sad, depressed, and lonely. Therefore, dolphins need unlimited space to roam, so they can be content.