On a trip to florida, I was recently told by a dolphin cruise captain that swimming with wold dolphins is a federal crime.
Is there some reason I'm missing for this law?
Probably "harrasment" in terms of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, passed as an appetiser two years before the awful Endangered Species Act.
So, in a nutshell, you're not allowed to do it because it might be bad for the dolphins to fraternise with people. Heh, maybe swimming with them will make them go extinct.
They don't want people having sex with dolphins, that's why.
What if its consentual?
Michelangelo: What if its consentual?
doesn't matter, it's against the bible
(english is not my native language, sorry for grammar.)
^^The govt thinks all sex with animals is rape, since it claims that animals cannot consent to sex. Even though we never ask them for consent for anything else like, killing them or keeping them as pets.
Because Shawn Spencer tried to ride a dolphin once but he got caught by his dad.
'Men do not change, they unmask themselves' - Germaine de Stael
Yes, it's about harassment. Federal law prohibits it of any marine mammal. Officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service want to ensure that the behavior of dolphins is not altered by human harassment.
Yeah, right, I suppose drafting them into the military is fine, though... Doesn't affect their behaviour at all.
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/navy/a/navydolphin.htm