The Cetacean Sanctuary: A Sea of Unknowns.

Simple Summary: Sanctuary is a term with implicit meaning associated with refuge and safety. In the animal husbandry setting, we have used this term to describe many different types of enclosures, with very little standardization of what this term should mean in terms of physical space, much less welfare in a broad sense. Here, I consider how extreme space, the deemphasis of the human–cetacean relationship, breeding restrictions, donation-based funding models, and current practices in public messaging create potential challenges for cetacean sanctuaries moving forward. I then offer experimental approaches to assessing the potential effectiveness of cetacean sanctuaries in improving cetacean welfare. To ensure the success of sanctuaries in maximizing animal welfare, it is essential to critically evaluate sanctuary standards against what is currently known about animals under managed care, as well as to determine what data are necessary to fully evaluate animal welfare in sanctuaries before these facilities are constructed. Housing cetaceans in netted sea pens is not new and is common for many accredited managed-care facilities. Hence, the distinction between sanctuary and sea pen is more about the philosophies of those who run these sanctuary facilities, the effects of these philosophies on the animals' welfare, and how proponents of these sanctuaries fund the care of these animals. Here, I consider what plans exist for cetacean sanctuaries and discuss the caveats and challenges associated with this form of activist-managed captivity. One goal for stakeholders should be to disregard the emotional connotations of the word "sanctuary" and explore these proposals objectively with the best interest of the animals in mind. Another focus should be related to gauging the public's understanding of proposed welfare benefits to determine if long-term supporters of donation-based sanctuary models will likely see their expectations met as NGOs and their government partners consider moving forward with cetacean sanctuary experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]