Human-Dolphin-Research project!

Alright guys, today I'm gonna tell you something about the Human-Dolphin-Research project which is run by Volker Todt and Roma Spring on Tenerife.

Roma and Volker are a German couple who always spend the summer in Germany and the winter in Los Gigantes on Tenerife. While Roma is a Pediatric Nurse who specialized in waterbirth, pre-, peri and post-natal psychology, Volker is an Educational  Psychology Professor who specialized in children and adolescents.

The Human-Dolphin-Research project was founded by Roma and Volker about 20 years ago. They aimed and still aim to prove if dolphin therapy has an effect on humans and if so, if it is really necessary to capture dolphins and keep them in bassins. Therefore they do their research with free dolphins and whales in their natural habitat, the ocean around Tenerife, and their research is bound to a lot of restrictions.
Actually it is forbidden to swim in the sea when dolphins or whales are nearby, on one hand because it is dangerous and on the other hand in order to protect the wild animals. Roma and Volker, though, have a special authorization from the governments of Tenerife and Spain which allows them to work with the sea mammals. They have to apply for this authorization every year anew and only get it, because they do scientifical research and follow every single restriction that is imposed on them.

So, what do they actually do in their research?
At the beginning Roma and Volker only worked with children and teenagers who were mentally or physically disabled. They do not only work with the child, but also involve the whole family, in order to ensure that the progress and changes will go on back at home. Also, they include reports from teachers, therapists and educaters, and whoever works with the children to see if there is any long-term progress. In the past years they also started to take on self-awareness-groups of grown-ups who work in the social sector.

What makes the experience so special is that you don't have the possibility to work with whales/dolphins in their natural habitat anywhere else. Those sea mammals you meet are absolutely free. They choose to be there with you, and if they don't want it anymore, they swim away or dive.

Anyway, all this is really hard to explain, and there is a lot more to it than what I am able to tell you guys, but if this made you curious just look at their website. It is accessible in German as well as English.

Well, in my next entry I will tell you a little bit about my personal experience on Tenerife.  :)