I don't have to prove a thing to him. She said her bill to prohibit the exhibition of captive dolphins and whales is based on the ethical and humane treatment of animals, particularly warm-blooded mammals. It respects the life in its oceans. . . . Maui is filled with aloha for all creatures. Johnson said she feels empathy for animals used in scientific research, and, in the case of dolphins, it hurts her to see how they are confined to a circular tank instead of being free in the ocean.
Dolphins are so highly intelligent.
We don't know if they have emotions or not. But if a doubt exists I will always err on the side of the animal. Herman defends the work done at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory, which would be relocated to the planned Maui Nui Park project in Kihei. The laboratory is world-renowned in the scientific community for its research on dolphins and whales, he said. The facility's findings have been featured worldwide in television documentaries, magazines and in IMAX films, he said.