Dolphins & Whales – sentient creatures
Amidst the big Seaworld scandal, I’m rounding up a few of my favourite articles I’ve seen about Dolphins and Whales recently, to help spread the word about how amazing they are, and to hopefully put a smile of wonder on your face when considering these amazing mammals.
Starting with the BBC who state that “Dolphins deserve same rights as humans say scientistsâ€
According to the article, many experts in the fields of ethics and animal behaviour are advocates for treating dolphins and whales as ethically as we would treat humans.
The article also demonstrates various examples of the creatures showing empathy, higher thinking, reason and self awareness. My favourite bit is an anecdote about a dolphin ripping a paper bag to shreds and returning it to the human to earn a treat for ‘tidying it’s tank’
See the article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17116882
Moving on to BBC news US and Canada. The websites states that Seaworld are being sued over holding animals captive, and furthermore that “5 killer whales have been named as plaintiff’s in the lawsuit.â€
This brought a massive smile to my face! It’s a good day for animal rights! Campaigners reason that Orcas are kept in tiny tanks and are forced to perform tasks on a daily basis. It has often been stated by campaigners such as PETA that animals held in captivity show signs of emotional distress and boredom, such as self harming. I seriously hope Seaworld are sh**ing their metaphorical pants!
The article quotes campaigners as saying that they don’t expect the dolphins to win, but are delighted that it has made it to the courtroom. If nothing else – this will no doubt raise awareness of the Orcas plight, and therefore awareness for other dolphins, whales and animals that suffer at the hands of human greed and ignorance.
Tilikum & Katina, at SeaWorld Orlando & Kasatka, Corky & Ulises, at SeaWorld San Diego I wish you the very best of luck. I hope your plight will soon be over and you can enjoy freedom.
Click here to read more http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16920866
It is not just dolphins that suffer. Whaling is still popular in many countries and the mammals are brutally sliced open. Lets hope this will open the floodgates and will result in better rights for ALL animals.
This next article http://phys.org/news181981904.html takes a look at how dolphins have “distinct personalities†and “complex social structures†which is more than I can say some humans can make claim to! It also illustrates examples of dolphins ‘teaching other dolphins’ and suggests that we should consider dolphins as ‘non human persons’. This article did go someway to restoring my faith in humanity!
This news piece looks at the story of sperm whales who have adopted a bottle nose dolphin! Beautiful just beautiful!
http://io9.com/5977738/sperm-whales-adopt-a-dolphin-with-spine-deformity
This video (below) had me gazing at the screen in awe. It tells a real life story of a dog being rescued by a dolphin who would no doubt have drowned if the dolphin had not come to it’s rescue. There are many similar videos on Youtube and various news sites too. This is not just a one off incident. Dolphins have been linked to many rescues, including both humans and animals. This shows they feel empathy…and ironically they often feel respect and empathy for a species which don’t always deserve it (mankind).
Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4_wS-c7ExY
And finally, probably the cutest clip including a dolphin and a cat you’ll ever see! After 3…123 aaaaaawwwwww 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMlG6AoTlL8
Please share this and/or spread the message that dolphins and whales are BRIIIIIIIILIANT and shouldn’t be held captive, killed or abused. Thank you and best wishes.
Kaz AKA Karen Louise
