Brittany Mahomes Draws Criticism for Attending Captive Dolphin Show

Brittany Matthews Mahomes, the wife of NFL player Patrick Mahomes and former soccer player, has drawn renewed criticism after a social media post showing her and her children posing with a captive dolphin. While on vacation, the Mahomes family visited a marine theme park. The series of photos posted to Instagram show Matthews Mahomes posing with a dolphin. In one photo she is hanging onto the dolphin’s dorsal fin as it swims. In others, she can be seen kissing the dolphin and holding onto its flippers. 

The post’s caption reads “Ever snuggled a 400lbs dolphin?” Viewers were quick to criticize Matthews Mahomes for supporting a park that keeps dolphins captive. One responder wrote “Please educate yourself on dolphin captivity! It is hell for these beautiful creatures.”

It’s inherently cruel to keep dolphins and other marine mammals in captivity. World Animal Protection has previously described dolphin shows and captivity as “extreme animal cruelty masquerading as family fun.” Dolphins kept in captivity are frequently kept in small, chemical-treated tanks. These tanks may cause health problems for the dolphins. Additionally, they are less than 200,000 times smaller than the range of habitat dolphins would normally inhabit. 

Dolphins and other marine mammals are also frequently used in shows where they are made to perform tricks for crowds of people. Or, as can be seen in Matthews Mahomes’ photos, they are made to physically interact with people. Many naturally social marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, orcas, and more are also frequently kept separated from other members of their species. This is extremely cruel since they are social creatures who naturally exist as part of a group. 

While defenders of Matthews Mahomes have praised her for fostering a love of the ocean in her children there are other ways to do so. Never Support marine parks that offer captive dolphin or whale shows. Additionally, do not attempt to swim with or harass dolphins in the wild. Interaction with humans can alter these wild animals’ natural behavior and place them in harm’s way. 

Dolphin captivity is cruel and should not be allowed. Take a stand against this cruelty by refusing to Support captive dolphin shows, not participating in wild dolphin activities, and signing this petition to End Marine Mammal Captivity!

Empty The Cages by Tiny Rescue: Animal Collection

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• Captive Beluga Whale and Bottlenose Dolphin Die at Marineland Months After Kiska Died at Same Abusement Park

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