It is on a sunny Saturday in March when I visit the \u2018rebranded\u2019 Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary. The entrance itself is rather unremarkable, except for the sign; the name has been changed repeatedly, as if trying to re-paint the past. In contrast, the other side of the park tells a different story: hidden from public scrutiny, graffiti lines the fence along its perimeter, showcasing \u2018artwork\u2019 like old battle scars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The park has weathered a lot over its fifty-something-year history, including decades of shenanigans by rowdy teens and thousands of hungry tourists since the 70s, and boy, it shows. The sanctuary is rundown, and frankly, I\u2019m surprised the fence is still standing. As someone who grew up in Coffs Harbour, I know the park\u2019s history well. To me, it\u2019s a relic of a bygone era\u2014one that should be left to the history books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My position is further solidified: I have been chatting to a group of staunch animal rights activists united in their core mission: empty the tanks. One member of the group quips that the park engages in \u2018sanctuary theatre<\/em>\u2019, and, joking aside, I decide to engage in a little sanctuary theatre of my own: covert ops. When I rock up for the show, I almost<\/em> feel guilty buying a ticket, as if a lone member of staff would be waiting in the wings to catch me out, pointing their finger at me and murmuring to their colleague: \u201cThat\u2019s no tourist\u201d, as they escort me out of the facility, red-handed. Naturally, I avoid eye contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hec Goodall, the founder, opened the Pet Porpoise Pool in 1970 with the intention of rescuing and caring for animals. He describes saving dolphins and returning some to the wild. Yet tourism meant the dolphins performed tricks for the public. At the end of the day, show business is show business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early days, business was good. As public awareness grew and regulations increased, more governing bodies became involved in protecting marine mammals, thereby escalating tensions. Groups like Greenpeace and the RSPCA, while initially backing the park, gradually withdrew their support. Former NSW Premier Bob Carr followed suit, swinging back and forth like a pendulum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the park underwent new management and rebranding, animal commercialisation increased, which Goodall reportedly opposed, insisting his model focused on conservation and animal care. He rejects a strict business model, but the dolphins still help fund other rescue efforts, a practice that continues today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the turning point came in 2015, when a young dolphin named Ji-Ling died at Dolphin Marine Magic, after ingesting leaf matter and other foreign material. Ji had become ill, and with surgery ruled out, a staff member decided to insert a hand right into poor Ji\u2019s stomach to retrieve the debris. Ji suffered from a heart attack and passed away. The park attempted to hide the autopsy report. Why would a park attempt to hide such results from the public unless they knew it would show anything but a high standard of care for the animals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n At what point do we say, ‘Enough is enough’? Sure, the banning of dolphin captive breeding in NSW is a great start, but it\u2019s not enough. We need to end dolphin captivity once and for all. We need to stop promoting tourist-driven zoos and aquariums because these facilities operate through a framework of animal welfare, not animal rights. As long as these places operate as businesses, the animals’ rights will never be placed at the forefront. Money will always be the priority. Human gain will trump first. Pseudo-sanctuaries marketed as tourist attractions that \u2018rehabilitate\u2019 and \u2018conserve\u2019 animals in 2026 are an outdated model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australia needs a national framework to advance wildlife rescue, treatment and rehabilitation \u2013 such as the framework being pushed by Wildlife Recovery Australia (staff recently toured the sanctuary with their state-of-the-art mobile wildlife hospital). This framework would also encompass conservation, education, and research. Of course, for such a framework to exist, federal funding is needed, as well as a push toward efforts to protect our native wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to ask ourselves why we, as a species, are still visiting such places to see these beautiful dolphins in captivity, when there are many eco-driven sites in Australia where we can swim and interact with them in their natural environment? You don\u2019t need to touch them to understand that they are highly social and intelligent creatures. Are we that disconnected from nature? We desperately need a push from the government toward ecotourism and restoring our relationship with the natural world. At a time when anthropocentrism is rife more than ever, it is time to restore the balance between our man-made and natural environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us ask ourselves: what is truly at stake here? What does it say about us as a species when we only see animals through a lens of what value they provide us \u2013 as Joaquin Phoenix said: \u201cWe are guilty of an egocentric world view\u201d \u2013 and that egocentric view is being displayed by members of the public, who ignorantly defend the park\u2019s theatrics. One member of the public comments on a social media post about one of the resident dolphins: \u2018Zippy gave me a kiss when I was younger, and he\u2019s staying. ‘ It is sad that we as a species cannot appreciate that animals have a right to exist and live out their lives independently and separately from us. They are each individual beings with their own identities, and have inherent value just by being part of the world, just like us, rather than the value we place on them as an extension of our own narrow humancentric world view; this preconceived idea that an animal only has worth when there is something to gain from them; this encompassing idea that they exist for us<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in the group chat, discussions turn to the relocation of the park’s 3 resident dolphins, Zippy, Bella and Jet, to Sea World on the Gold Coast, as well as the oldest dolphin, Zippy, who has recently had surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his mouth. More and more questions arise. Why does this facility have such a high rate of dolphins infected with DPV? (Dolphin Papillomavirus) causing them to develop tumours? We know that the unnatural living conditions would be stressful for the dolphins, but is environmental contamination also a factor? The facility is old and begging for upgrades: who knows what other contaminants are in the water? I was horrified to see the level of algae in the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The local TV station has been rolling cameras since then, and the pool has since been cleaned, now closer to an aquamarine blue. Is relocation the best solution? No. Is it a long-term solution? No. But a sea sanctuary in Coffs Harbour has been ruled out by the local government. Relocation to Sea World is the next best option for these beautiful animals to have better living conditions, and dare I say, a higher standard of care. From there, there will be a further battle in the fight to end dolphin captivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the off-display pool at the sanctuary, a lone ball is bobbing on the surface, with no dolphin in sight. The sanctuary marks its \u2018enrichment\u2019 for the day. I decide to investigate further and take a look through the underwater viewing window: I want to make a human-animal connection. This was the saddest decision I could make: the window is filthy and scratched. I think to myself: How many people have stood at this window since 1970 and watched these beautiful animals swim in circles in a pool barely 3.3 metres deep? <\/em>A lone dolphin swims close to the window, and for a brief moment, we make eye contact. I leave him as he continues to swim haplessly in circles, with no human in sight; the pool swirling a scummy blue-green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watching the dolphin show, I am deeply saddened: I am struck by how few question the morality of making animals perform in shallow pools for entertainment. No amount of justification changes the reality: this is sanctuary theatre masking the exploitation of sentient beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n History has proven that animal liberationists have never shied away from a good fight, and they have been waging war over this place since the 80s. The year is 2026, and we are still paying to see dolphin shows when we can see these beautiful animals in the wild. Perhaps even crueller for these dolphins is that the ocean is a mere few metres away. I don\u2019t know what we have become as a species. But it\u2019s certainly not this. The disconnection that we have from nature is truly heartbreaking. Hec Goodall made light of the situation by calling it \u201ca sad, sorry saga\u201d in his cartoons. Yes, Hec. It is indeed a sad, sorry saga. And it\u2019s not over yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It is on a sunny Saturday in March when I visit the \u2018rebranded\u2019 Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary. The entrance itself is rather unremarkable, except for the sign; the name has been changed repeatedly, as if trying to re-paint the past. 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