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Good morning. I am Dr. John W. Grandy, vice president of Wildlife and Habitat 

 Protection for The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). I thank you for the 

 opportunity to testify today on behalf of The HSUS and 14 other member organizations 

 of the Marine Mammal Protection Coalition (MMPC) and our combined membership 

 and constituency of over 3 million persons worldwide, regarding the issues of marine 

 mammal public display and scientific research. MMPC member groups engage in 

 scientific research, coordinate stranding networks, and provide interpretive educational 

 programs about free-living marine mammals. The HSUS is the largest animal protection 

 organization in the United States. We have ten regional offices, an educational division, 

 a team of investigators, and legislative experts. We have substantial programs focused 

 on providing humane stewardship for companion animals, laboratory animals, farm 

 animals, and wildlife. The HSUS has recently established an international arm, Humane 

 Society International, through which we will extend our programs of animal protection 

 around the world. 



We appreciate the Committee's attention to this issue and look forward to working with 

 you, Mr. Chairman, to preserve the principles of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 (MMPA) of 1972 during its re-authorization process. 



INTRODUCTION 



Our position has long been that under most circumstances wild animals should exist 

 undisturbed in their natural environments. Captivity of marine mammals in zoos, 

 aquaria, and marine parks and lethal and invasive scientific research are essentially 

 antithetical to this position. Frequently, captivity and research result in abuse, neglect, 

 suffering, and premature death of individual animals. Therefore, we maintain that 

 captivity of and research on marine mammals should only be undertaken for the direct 

 benefit of the species and that all individual animals involved should be treated in a 

 humane, professional manner where the welfare of the individual is always paramount. 



In addition, public opinion concerning human interaction with marine mammals has 

 been changing. Documentaries, scientific research on free-living animals, wildlife 

 photography, and films such as this past summer's "Free Willy" have encouraged and 

 established a new public awareness of the complex nature of these intelligent, social 

 creatures. People have begun to question, in growing numbers and in various media, the 

 ethics or necessity of keeping marine mammals in captivity. The hundreds of thousands 

 of calls made to the 800 number at the end of "Free Willy", as well as the proliferation 

 of aquaria without live marine mammal exhibits, the closing of seasonal dolphin shows at 

 many amusement parks, and the introduction of state legislation prohibiting captures of 

 marine mammals in state waters and, in South Carolina, the outright prohibition of 

 public display, clearly illustrate that the debate on public display is entering a new era. 



