自1860年代起,人们便一直在饲养鲸豚类。世界上首个经营性鲸豚水族馆为美国佛罗里达海洋世界(英语:Marineland of Florida),开设于1938年。直到1960年代,鲸豚类表演的受欢迎程度还在迅速上升[2]。1970年代以来,人们对动物福利的日益关注促成了更加严格的监管,这最终导致一些国家关闭了部分场馆。尽管存在这种趋势,但欧洲、北美和日本目前仍有许多鲸豚水族馆。
Johnson, William. (1994). The Rose-tinted Menagerie. London: Heretic Books Ltd. ISBN978-0-946097-28-9. “Following P.T. Barnum's ill-fated display of white whales in his New York Museum in 1860, it was not until 1913 that cetaceans were again seen in captivity, this time when C. H. Townsend, curator of the New York Aquarium, stumbled upon the idea exhibiting dolphins as an unbeatable novelty to attract the crowds.【中译:自1860年巴纳姆在他的纽约博物馆(英语:Barnum's American Museum)以悲剧式的结尾展出了两头白鲸后,直到1913年,鲸类动物才再次被人工豢养,这一次是纽约水族馆(英语:New York Aquarium)馆长汤森(英语:Charles Haskins Townsend)偶然间的想法,将海豚展出作为一件无与伦比的新奇事物来吸引群众。】”“During feeding time at Marine Studios, it is said, dolphins gradually fell into the habit of jumping up to catch the fish that were thrown to them, and this miniature spectacle always amused the public, the keepers and curator. Then a year later in 1939, Cecil M. Walker, then responsible for maintenance of the water purification pumps on the night-shift, observed one evening how a dolphin pushed a pelican feather across the surface of the water towards him. "Just for the hell of it" he took the proffered feather and threw it back into the water, whereupon, to his great surprise, the dolphin brought it back again. The game continued with Walker experimenting with a ball, an inner tube of a bicycle, small stones and other objects. As the game took shape with other dolphins joining in the act, it began to resemble the repertoire seen today in every dolphinarium in the world.【中译:据说,海豚在被饲养于海洋馆期间,逐渐养成了跳起来接获所投喂之鱼的习惯,并且这种微景观总是让大众、饲养员和馆长感到有趣。一年后的1939年,当时负责上夜班维护净水泵的塞西尔·沃克,在一天晚上观察到一只海豚如何将一根鹈鹕羽毛从水面推向他,“只是为了好玩”的他拿起那根羽毛扔回水中,令他大吃一惊的是,海豚又将羽毛带了回来。游戏继续进行,沃克用一个球、一个脚车内胎以及小石块等物体进行了试验。随着其他海豚的加入,游戏逐渐成形,开始像今天世界上每个海豚馆里的节目一样。】”
Johnson (1994). “In the golden heyday of the industry, there were at least 36 assorted dolphinaria or itinerant dolphin shows in the UK.【中译:在海豚表演业的黄金鼎盛时期,各式各样经营海豚表演的场馆或巡回演出团体在英国至少有36个。】”