Dolphins at these facilities form social groups, breed successfully, interact and exhibit many, if not all, of the same behaviors we see out in the wild. No dolphins will be collected from the wild. The museum will acquire dolphins from other institutions or from rehabilitative facilities that have animals that cannot be released. The museum will not collect any dolphins from the wild. Scientific data indicates that dolphins live as long, and probably longer, at a facility like VMSM as they do in the wild.
Dolphins born in facilities consider where they are as home.
It is what they know and understand. They don't consider it an alien environment because it is where they have always lived. Dolphins have voluntary control over the use of their sonar. They use it only when needed. Sonar is used primarily to find food, avoid predators and to navigate.