For thousands of years, dolphins all over the world have been adored as deities or, at least, humanised. One reason for this is their facial structure which makes them look as though they are smiling and their assumed intelligence. Behavioural tests on Hawaii demonstrated that dolphins act consciously and intelligently.
They can, for example, create their own toys from air bubbles, recognise themselves in a mirror and even operate a touch-screen monitor. Unfortunately, these intelligent marine mammals are still frequently misused in captivity to perform cheap tricks for the public. High birth rates in natural sea-water lagoons, attempts by the trainer for the "Flipper" TV series to return dolphins to the wild and contacts to other wild dolphins demonstrate that there are alternatives.
