What does "intelligence" or "niceness" have to do with it?

[Jim Ernst]

To quote our tour guide at DiveQuest (Disneyworld) during DEMA:

"You'll notice the dolphins are segregated from the rest of the tank. That's because dolphins are jerks. Actually, teenage hoodlums is more like it".

"One of our biologists came in early in the morning, and caught the two dolphins spinning one of the turtles like a frisbee."

"They'd pick up the fish, flip them up into the air and bat them back and forth".

This was eye-opening, to say the least! They looked like such nice dolphins, too.


All the best, James

Sorry I cant help it!!

 

[Kim]

....I guess then there are people like you ...who will not change a bit to help nature and eat the last known whale or dolphin to extinction

LOL. And we'd got so far through the thread without anyone hurling personal insults!

My friend - you don't know me at all.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Kim.

You aren't going to be able to please them all anyway!

You made a very good point to me and in my Opinion when you stated in the last thread that hey we do it to cow's and chickens so whats the differance.

LOL, Though I would still shoot the cow for dinner first!!

Oh and I am still laughing about the Dolphins spinning the turtle!!

 

[Tigerman]

Dolphins, the schoolyard bully of the ocean, LOL

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Can you posts a link or reference where how nice they are is the real issue?

You're kidding, right?

 

[Tigerman]

You're kidding, right?

Id off that seal on the spot and run off with the chick!
YEAH!

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Id off that seal on the spot and run off with the chick!
YEAH!

I went over and got her for you:L

Same - But different!

 

[Mr.X]

Nice to see a large number of people taking notice.

There's a very sane statement made by Tigerman, which resembled "respect the food you eat". In that line of reasoning, respect in my eyes means:

• Not harvesting endangered, or pressured animals
• Not feeding innocent people tainted flesh
• Not purposefully subjecting animals to undue cruelty during harvest
• Respecting international sanctuaries & treaties (the Antarctic & IWC)

On these points, the Japanese whaling industry, local (Taijji & Futo) and subsidized fail on all four points. Norway, Iceland and Aboriginal hunters harvest locally; Iceland defied IWC in 2006.

As per POV – it’s always personal. Kim has suggested something like “how does it matter?" It’s quite subjective. It all depends on who you are, and what lens you see the world through. I personally cannot condone killing dolphins, whales, seals etc. because I’ve held them in my arms, nursed some to health (seals) and witnessed how they behave. An emotional response does occur. Hardened accountants feel nothing...sounds like politicians eh?

X

 

[Kamchatka]

So if I kill a human thats less intelligent than me, its ok..

Yes, that's correct.
George Donner

 

[Kim]

It’s quite subjective. It all depends on who you are, and what lens you see the world through. I personally cannot condone killing dolphins, whales, seals etc. because I’ve held them in my arms, nursed some to health (seals) and witnessed how they behave. An emotional response does occur.

Exactly - it's very subjective. So how does a subjective emotional response give anyone the right to tell others how they may live? As already said - Muslims feel it's completely wrong to eat pork, Hindus the same about beef. If it's OK to tell some they shouldn't eat what they want to, is it going to be OK if Muslims & Hindus tell the rest of us we can't eat pork or beef?

I personally don't condone quite a number of things - killing and eating dolphins and whales among them. I also don't condone people carrying guns, spearfishing, eating lobster - lot's of things actually. I would never do any of those things myself - but I don't see that as giving me any right at all to tell others that they can't if it's legal where they are.

As abhorrent as the Taiji & Futo dolphin hunts are, they aren't illegal. For at least part of the Japanese whaling hunt, that is also permitted in clauses in the convention. Quite probably all of it is. People might wish it wasn't so and actually pretend that they're right and what the Japanese do IS illegal - but the fact is it isn't. If it was I'm quite sure the Australian CG/Navy for one would be arresting people and impounding boats as they do frequently in the case of other illegal fishing in the Southern Oceans.

People may not like it, but that's how it is. It doesn't matter how many times anyone says differently, and that even if it's not illegal it should be etc etc as it stands now the Japanese are operating within the rules of the IWC.