Hawaiian ancestors lived deeply interconnected to each other, the land, and the sea. Dolphins (Nai`a) were considered by some to be one form of the spiritual manifestation of the god, Kanaloa. Humans are terrestrial animals, and our capacity to see and understand the importance and vulnerability of life in the sea has trailed our growing ability to harm it. Our very existence depends upon healthy oceans; dolphins and other cetaceans represent a critical piece to this huge ecosystem.

The Wild Dolphin Foundation is a Hawaii-based grassroots NPO, whose mission is protecting and restoring the natural habitats of dolphins through research, advocacy, public education and conservation and to create culturally-sustainable change in human behaviors which continue to threaten the well-being of dolphins and their host communities worldwide.

"To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival." Wendell Berry