Richard O'Barry

Founder/Director of Dolphin Project Author of “Behind the Dolphin Smile” and “To Free a Dolphin” #TheCove #BloodDolphins @Dolphin_Project @LincolnOBarry

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Pilot whales are highly social animals with strong family bonds and unique forms of communication passed through generations. Yet in some parts of the world, they still face threats from hunts and captivity.

These intelligent beings belong in the open ocean, not confined tanks or driven into slaughter.

At Dolphin Project, we’re working to protect dolphins and whales through education, advocacy, and action helping create a future where they can remain wild and free.

Thanks to collaborations like @waterhaul_co we’re able to continue our mission to protect dolphins worldwide!

https://t.co/pe4HiZ5E9s

Footage taken on @insta360 by @alexinwaterlust

#PilotWhales #DolphinProject #EmptyTheTanks #ProtectOurOceans #Cetaceans #WildAndFree

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Fourteen years ago, Empty the Tanks began as a peaceful movement to be a voice for dolphins and whales in captivity. Today, that movement continues to grow because of every single person who showed up, spoke out, shared our message, and stood for change.

We are so grateful to everyone who participated in this year’s events around the world and helped raise awareness for the dolphins. Change takes persistence, compassion, and momentum and together, we are making progress.

Thank you for standing with us and helping push for a future where no dolphin is exploited for entertainment.

Read more: https://t.co/UzMdCo2IQu

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

BREAKING: After years in captivity, their future should not be another concrete pool. Wikie and Keijo are the last two orcas left at Marineland Antibes.⁠
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They do not need a new venue.⁠
They need a real plan for a life beyond performance.⁠
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👉 Read the full blog: “Wikie and Keijo May be Sent to Loro Parque” ⁠
Read more: https://t.co/4W0q6u5v6m
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#DolphinProject #Orcas #Dolphins #Blog #Captivity

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

No dolphin deserves a life, motionless on a concrete floor.
With your support Dolphin Project continues to expose the dark reality of dolphin captivity. Every share, every voice, every donation and every person standing with us helps keep global pressure on the captive industry to change its business model.

Together, we can make sure the world never looks away from what is happening in captivity. Join our plight to protect dolphins.

🔗 https://t.co/usnV5aKqMW

#dolphins #dolphinproject #emptythetanks

[Richard O'Barry @RichardOBarry]

@Dolphin_Project 🙌🏻

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Thank you so much to ALL showing up and advocating for an end to dolphin and whale captivity this weekend for the 2026 #EmptyTheTanksWorldwide event!⁠

Please tag us, or message us with your event photos if you would like them to be shared!⁠

#EmptyTheTanks
#DolphinProject #dolphin #animals #takeaction #thanksbutnotanks

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

What’s next for Umah Lumba dolphin sanctuary?

Our sanctuary has already rehabilitated and released dolphins, proving that change is possible. Now, after continued progress and years of dedication, we stand ready to accept dolphins once again.

Our team has always continued to maintain and care for the sanctuary every day, ensuring it is prepared for the next chapter.

This mission has always been driven by perseverance, compassion, and the belief that dolphins deserve a life beyond captivity. We’re proud of how far Umah Lumba has come and determined for what comes next.

Thank you for all of your support, you make these achievements possible!

Learn more about Umah Lumba here: https://t.co/cfx8jYWvUh

#dolphins #dolphinproject #umahlumba

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

“Empty the Tanks” has never meant releasing dolphins overnight. It means working toward a long term phase out of captivity by stopping breeding, capture, trade, and exploitation.⁠
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This movement is about refusing to accept tanks as a permanent future for dolphins, while pushing for real solutions like improved welfare, responsible transitions, and sanctuary development.⁠
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👉 Read the full blog: “Empty the Tanks: What It Means and Why It Matters” ⁠

https://t.co/UzMdCo2IQu

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#DolphinProject #Animals #Dolphins #Blog #EmptyTheTanks

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Empty the Tanks 2026 has more locations added.⁠
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From the U.S. to Mexico, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Japan, advocates will gather outside marine parks, aquariums, zoos, and dolphinariums to speak up for dolphins and whales exploited in captivity.⁠
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Find your nearest location on the event map and join the movement.⁠
👉 Visit https://t.co/XkKI5EtDOn ⁠

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#EmptyTheTanks #DolphinProject #Dolphins #CaptivityKills #Animals

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

EMPTY THE TANKS May 9–10, 2026⁠
All location details at: https://t.co/erqGZbFZMx (link in bio)⁠
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Empty The Tanks Worldwide is a global event that gives people everywhere a platform to stand together and peacefully advocate for an end to dolphin and whale captivity. Join us in these locations around the world to raise awareness and educate the public.⁠ There is still time to add a location near you.
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#DolphinProject #emptythetanks #animals #dolphins #thanksbutnotanks

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

A closed gate does not guarantee freedom. As Canada moves beyond its last aquarium, the real test is whether the animals left behind will finally be given freedom or moved to another tank.⁠
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👉 Read the full blog: “What’s Next After Canada’s Last Aquarium Closes?” https://t.co/f99Z53kVWU ⁠
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#DolphinProject #Animals #Dolphins #Blog #EndCaptivity

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

SAVE THE DATES: This year’s Empty The Tanks Worldwide Events will be on MAY 9 & 10, 2026! 🌍🐬
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Join us in one of many locations around the globe to educate the public. Empty The Tanks Worldwide events give a platform to citizens around the world to stand together and peacefully advocate for an end to dolphin and whale captivity.⁠
Each event location depends on local volunteers to help organize and host. If you’d like to host an event or join ⁠ https://t.co/XkKI5EtDOn
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#DolphinProject #emptythetanks #animals #dolphin #dolphins #orca #thanksbutnotanks

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Help us end the cycle of Dolphin captivity…

Whilst not all dolphins are candidates for release that doesn’t mean they should be subjected to a life confined to a concrete tank. We are working to secure a better future for generations of dolphins to come.

Help us help dolphins!

https://t.co/JbU9yg7ez1

#dolphinproject #dolphins #emptythetanks

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Taiji: Most people don’t know this but despite captive breeding in aquariums, dolphins are still captured from the wild and sold to aquariums. Take the pledge NOT to buy a ticket to a dolphin show: https://t.co/mL0CwnosR9

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

A dolphin's smile is nature's greatest deception." - @RichardOBarry
Behind that smile, the dolphin trafficking continues. Every year, dolphins are being driven into Taiji's cove, selected, sold into captivity, and shipped dolphinariums in select parts the world.
But there is resistance.
@dolphin_project is on the ground in Taiji, documenting the hunts, exposing the trafficking, the exploitation and the dark reality behind captivity. They are working alongside courageous Japanese activists who are tirelessly trying to raise awareness and push for legal change from within Japan.
This isn't just about bearing witness, it's about dismantling the system that profits from captivity. Through international pressure, education, policy advocacy, and relentless documentation, real change is being fought for every single day. Don't buy a ticket to a dolphin show.
Dolphin trafficking is happening right now.
Join the fight to protect the dolphins passing through Taiji. https://t.co/4BHnqODkPf

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

If you truly love the ocean, don’t do this.

Whale sharks are gentle giants — but when tourists crowd them, touch them, or block their movement, it causes stress and can alter their natural behavior.

Marine wildlife should never feel trapped for our content.

The rule is simple:
No chasing.
No touching.
No surrounding.
No flash.
Keep your distance.

The ocean is their home. We are just visitors.

🎥 Lombok, captured by atravellingjoey on TikTok and joey.travels on Instagram.

#JAANIndonesia #DolphinProject #ThanksButNoTanks #UmahLumba #animals

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

The show stadium at Kobe Suma SeaWorld has been built right next to the Pacific Ocean, within the orcas’ view when they jump on command. Stella was captured from the wild, taken from her mother off the coast of Iceland when she was about 1 year old. Ran is Stella's 19-year-old daughter who was born in captivity- the only one of her offspring that lives with her: https://t.co/L5H8VlUGq9 (🔗 in our bio)⁠
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Footage: @life_investigation_agency and Dolphin Project⁠
#orca #killerwhale #animals #thanksbutnotanks #emptythetanks #cetacean

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Taiji: This is one of the hardest moments to witness. The moment a wild dolphin is turned into an attraction.
A wild dolphin being taken from everything it knows… its home, its family, the ocean.
It’s unacceptable that we are able to exploit dolphins in this way for entertainment. The demand fuels the supply. *images from Feb 17, 2026
Feb 27, 2026

Take action :
https://t.co/kJqwskyosT

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Taiji: The dolphin hunters drove in a pod of striped dolphins, a deep water species. As the dolphins were pushed into shallow water, they panicked. Dolphins could be seen tangled in nets, pressed up against concrete and rocks in desperate attempts to escape. The divers grabbed and manhandled them as they forced them under the tarps where their lives were extinguished. Feb 22, 2026

TAKE ACTION: (🔗 in BIO)
https://t.co/kJqwskyosT

[Dolphin Project @Dolphin_Project]

Wild caught orcas are still living the consequences of captivity, decades after being torn from their families and oceans.⁠
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From Corky and Ulises to Naya, now alone after loss upon loss, their stories reveal a legacy of trauma that did not end with capture. It continues in tanks around the world.⁠
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Read their full story and why it still matters.: https://t.co/KW3Ho1pHYn