Observing Animals: Dolphins at Marineland
Humans have always been drawn to animals and longed to observe them and be near them. Beginning with ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese, animals have been collected for observation, pleasure, and even as symbols of power. In 19th century America, prior to the advent of zoos, it was common to see animals in circuses or menageries. While observing animals on land was fairly common, viewing aquatic animals was still new and exotic when Marine Studios first came into being.
When the oceanarium first opened, tourists and scientists alike were thrilled just to watch animals through small, square windows similar to television screens. Over time, tourists were no longer awed by dolphins and fish calming swimming around their structured habitat. People began to view animals in a new light, partially due to the humanization of animals in both film and literature--most notably by Walt Disney. Due to the anthropomorphism of animals in the eyes of the American public, the tourists of Marine Studios wished to see animal-human interaction. In conjunction with changing animal perspectives and competition from major theme parks, Marine Studio's famous Educated Porpoise shows were born. The most recent development in animal observation trends has been tourists actually entering the tank and interacting with the dolphins themselves. The tourist of today is not content with observing through a glass, or even watching a trainer interact with an animal. The tourist of modern times is hands-on and desires a close, personal encounter with marine life. Thus, as the perceived bond between humans and animals grew stronger, Marineland shifted and changed to accommodate tourist’s desire to get closer and closer.
Early brochures produced by Marineland during the late 1930s and 1940s focus less on animal-human interaction and more on the engineering feat of the oceanarium itself. The entire brochure does not feature a single picture of marine life, only the facilities of Marine Studios; this is ironic as the oceanarium was built to be a film studio.
The hook used in the brochure, aside from Florida's famous sand and sun, was that Marine Studios would allow tourists to view "the mysterious undersea world as an actual and living drama." Marine Studios also rightfully boasted of the novice of their facility. Marine Studios, the world's first Oceanarium, was the first aquarium setting to combine different species of marine life in a single tank. The oceanarium was meant to mimic the ocean in every way possible, thus providing an authentic experience for guests. In the same vein, the brochure also noted that "the smallest of these tanks [at Marine Studios] is twenty-five times the size of the largest tank at the famous New York Aquarium."
Far from the extravagant dolphin shows of Marineland's heyday, in the 1930s the park considered the afternoon feeding time to be the "climax of excitement at the oceanarium." When describing the photography opportunities available at Marine Studios, the underwater scene was once again described as "mysterious" and "wondrous." During the opening stages of the park, tourists were not interested in physically interacting with the sea life, but simply excited and enticed by the novelty of observing the ocean floor. The technology and engineering of Marine Studios was the enough to draw a crowd.
During the 1950s and '60s Marine Studios was still mainly reliant on tourist infatuation with the facilities, again featuring images of the Marineland Motel, the Dolphin Restaurant and bar, and finally an image simply captioned "architectural beauty." This brochure featured an interior photograph of the facility to show off their 300 viewing windows, as well as an image of some fish to depict "the most amazing display of live marine specimens ever assembled!" The cover shows an action shot of a primitive diver interacting with one of Marine Studio's sharks. This image was meant to capture the action and excitement waiting to be seen under the simulated sea. At the time, the facility was just beginning to experiment with brief dolphin performances comparing their intellect to that of a chimpanzee or a dog; Marineland began experimenting with animal training in 1949.
Although the Sarasota Tribune claimed that 1951 was Marineland's best year on record, most people recognize the 1970s as the attractions absolute height. It was during this time that Marineland's famous dolphin shows, coined "The School for Educated Porpoises and Whales," were brought to the public. During such shows, dolphins exercised their many skills such as ringing a bell, jumping through hoops, and shooting a basketball. During Marineland dolphin performances, the marine mammals were not only exhibiting their skills, but also interacting with performers and props. At the time, Marineland considered the training of their animals to be "unequalled."
In the 1970s and 1980s, Marineland attracted tourists by diversifying their animal collection, advertising sharks, eels, and otters. The newest attraction of the late '70s was the Aquarius Theater, which showed a multidimensional film: Sea Dream. Following the park's history of technological advancement, Marineland promised a viewing experience that explored the "sensations and wonders of doing things you'd never dare do." This was the final step before tourists flocked to join the sea life within Marineland's massive tanks.
Bibliography
Dillin, John W. “Flippy the Educated Porpoise.” Natural History 61(April 1952): 152-159. Accessed February 28, 2015.http://research.flagler.edu:10391/eds/
Hanson, Elizabeth. Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.
“Marineland Reports Its Best Year Ever.” January 12, 1973. St. Augustine Research Library Archive.
Peterson del Mar, David. “Our Animal Friends: Depictions of Animals in Reader's Digest during the 1950s.” Environmental History 3, no. 1(January 1998): 25-44. Accessed February 10, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985425.
“Things I Never Knew About Marineland Until I Went Up to Find Out.” Daytona Beach Morning Journal. July 8, 1939. St. Augustine Research Library Archive.
“The World’s Original Oceanarium.” Sarasota Herald Tribune. August 8, 1993. St. Augustine Research Library Archive.
Work Projects Administration. The WPA Guide to Florida: The Federal Writers’ Project Guide to 1930s Florida. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984.