DOLPHIN KILLINGS IN DENMARK ..lets put a stop to this

[scubamountaingirl]

ok I gotta pipe in here...as an avid vegetarian, lets get that debate off the table. we are not talking about veggies vs.meat eating/

I dont see the difference of killing a dolphin, whale, cow, pig, goat, dog, cat or rat, for our human gratification.

A long time ago my friend stopped eating tuna cause the dolphins were getting caught in the tuna nets. Give me a break the dolphin is better more intelligent than the tuna so we dont torture them in their death process??? but its ok that the tuna is tortured if a dolphin is not killed? what kind of backward thinking is that? eyes closed mouth open.

If any one of you could see any of the slaughter houses that we sustain for killing of the mammals and fish we ate I wont even touch upon crustaceans, you would be appalled , sick to your stomach or numb.

Either way its wrong, and until our race decides there are other protein sources other than helpless and helpful mammals, we will continue to pick and choose our causes.

If this is yours, go for it , it can only help , but I will not solve any problems.

The dutch govt. is the least offender . Look to ourselves. Look to what you eat.....How was that killed? jeeeze not much gets me riled up but picking and choosing what is the "better" animal is one of them.

sorry. soap box departed.

its all gonna work out in the end.

dive safely, wendy

 

[Air One]

As someone said, dolphin is high in protein. From what I hear, it's pretty high in Mercury these days too! MMmmmmmmm. Mercury

This is the real problem.
Not only because of mercury, but also CFC and many other dangerous chemical substances thoose whales are highly contaminated.

Anyway they will have to stop to hunt the pilot whales just because it's dangerous to eat them.

 

[Oceana Diver]

* dolphins are ENDANGERED Humans are the greatest threat to dolphins: environmental pollution, habitat destruction and overfishing are the main reasons why so many dolphin species are endangered. Lots of dolphins get stuck in fishing nets and in some countries, dolphins are deliberately killed because they eat the fish that the fishermen want to catch. If we do not do anything about it, dolphins might soon be extinct.

Not all dolphins are endangered. In fact, if you look at listings under the US Endangered Species Act, only the baiji, vaquita and Indus river dolphin (and depending whether you think of orcas as large dolphins or small whales) are listed as endangered*. Spinner and Spotted dolphins are listed as depleted.

The IUCN Red List is a bit longer:
The baiji and vaquita are "critically endangered."
Hector's dolphin, the South Asian River dolphin and the Finless Porpoise are "endangered."
The Chilean, Indo-Pacific Humpbacked and Australian Snub-nosed dolphins are "near threatened."
The Franciscana and Atlantic Humpbacked dolphin are "vulnerable."
All other dolphins and porpoises are listed as either "data deficient" (meaning they could be in trouble) or "least concern."

And yes, pollution, fishing gear, ship traffic and potentially underwater sonar all have an impact on dolphin populations, and their effects can all be lessened through appropriate management and enforcing existing legislation like the Marine Mammal Protection Act and ESA.

Cultural traditions like the hunt that started this thread are much harder to change. I'm sure the Japanese fishermen who hunt dolphins know fully well what the world thinks, yet they continue.

*Dolphins and porpoises are technically small toothed whales, but I'm leaving whales out to keep things simple. Whales are discussed in another thread.

 

[Air One]

As I said, if they don't care about the whales, they will take care about themselves, one of those days...
Faroe islanders told to stop eating 'toxic' whales - environment - 28 November 2008 - New Scientist

 

[widget]

I would think most peoples ethics are offended by this kind of sight, its bloody, its cruel, its wanton and the animal has no chance whatsoever........yet, its been going on for years.!!

I would not like to impose my belief system on the cultural heritage of these young men, and I dont think the issue is "are the animals on the endangered species list" but at the same time I have to ask, surely, there must be other ways to adulthood than the cold blooded slaughter of hundreds of trapped animals with no way to defend themselves.?

 

[daniel1948]

There are really several different issues here:

Environmental: The large-scale killing of animals in the wild can significantly alter the ecosystem, and this invariably has consequences we regret later. These consequences can be obvious or subtle, but we are well-advised to try to avoid them.

Ethical: There is a great chasm between those who believe that animals are sentient beings with inherent rights, and those who believe animals are merely food. We can shout at each other forever and we'll never reach agreement. If you eat cows (I don't) then it's hard to criticize people who eat dolphins.

Cultural: We in our culture have sentimental feelings toward specific animals. Most Americans and Europeans will happily eat a baby sheep or baby cow, but would be angered to learn their neighbor was eating puppy dogs or kittens. Cultural insensitivity often leads to wars. Even within our own culture, there are sub-cultural differences: One person will assert that it's okay to kill farm-raised animals because they were "raised for that purpose," but that wild animals should be left alone; while another person will argue the reverse, because farm animals are imprisoned for life in brutal conditions, whereas the wild animal has lived a full and complete life until being taken by a hunter who will make "good" use of it as food. These differences represent fundamentally different world views.

I am deeply offended by the people slaughtering dolphins. But they might be equally offended by my first-world carbon footprint or the resource policies of my country. Cleaning up our own act puts us in a better position to criticize others.

Personally, I argue that raising animals for food has disastrous environmental consequences, and that large-scale hunting disrupts populations in ways we will regret. I argue that a vegetarian diet is healthier for us and for the planet. But I know that mine is a minority view. And I have plenty of logs in my own eye. We all do.

 

[widget]

I think Daniel that there is also a fundemental differance between the clinical and quick dispatch of a farm animal at an abattoir and the cruel and inhumane killing of a pod of dolphin at the hands of unskilled citizens. There is no doubt in my mind, that there is a needless degree of suffering and pain inflicted on these animals, that is certainly not present in a controlled enviroment such as an abattoir.

This to my mind is the issue, I can fully understand the cultural and enviromental reasoning behind the ritual, but, ethically I cannot accept the cruelty and unnecessary suffering inflicted on these animals.

 

[daniel1948]

I think Daniel that there is also a fundemental differance between the clinical and quick dispatch of a farm animal at an abattoir and the cruel and inhumane killing of a pod of dolphin at the hands of unskilled citizens. There is no doubt in my mind, that there is a needless degree of suffering and pain inflicted on these animals, that is certainly not present in a controlled enviroment such as an abattoir.

This to my mind is the issue, I can fully understand the cultural and enviromental reasoning behind the ritual, but, ethically I cannot accept the cruelty and unnecessary suffering inflicted on these animals.

It is true that in a non-kosher abattoir death is quick. (Kosher laws require a method of killing that inflicts more suffering.) However, on a modern factory farm, the living conditions for the animals are cruel in the extreme.

Commercial meat production: A year or two of misery and suffering, followed by a quick death. The situation described in the OP: A free and normal life followed by a cruel and painful death. To me, neither is acceptable. But this is predicated on my personal philosophy that animals deserve respect.

And there are strong arguments that animals in an abattoir can smell (or are otherwise aware of) the death that pervades the place, and that they are terrified from the time they enter until the time they are killed, so that even though the physical pain is brief, the emotional torment is horrendous for the hours or days (I have no idea how long) that they remain at the place before they are killed.

Personally, I agree with you that the slaughter of wild animals is inhumane. But I feel that the raising of animals on factory farms is equally inhumane. (Note that 50 years ago, most meat consumed in the U.S. was raised on smaller farms where animals roamed on pastures, and spent a smaller time on a feed lot, but that today, most meat sold in stores comes from factory farms where animals are confined for their entire life.)

But we all have plenty of logs in our eye, and I am no exception. We probably cause far more suffering to animals by our first-world lifestyle (even vegetarians) than do the hunters in non-industrial societies.

 

[Air One]

I am deeply offended by the people slaughtering dolphins. But they might be equally offended by my first-world carbon footprint or the resource policies of my country. Cleaning up our own act puts us in a better position to criticize others.

I do appreciate your point of view.

 

[ScubaSteve]

This is a touchy subject. This kind of goes along with shark finning in my opinion. Many have argued that anybody is free to do absolutely anything they want so long as they have always done it....no consequences. I am of the opinion that if an "animal" is hunted as part of the food chain (i.e. to sustain life) in a responsible and humane manner (i.e. not taking an animal to the brink of extinction), then I can get behind it.

Because this appears to be a "coming of age" ritual, I speculate that this is no more than a cultural ritual. It is cruel to the animal and not necessary to sustain life so I automatically choose the "against" side.

With cattle, they are raised specifically for the purpose of feeding people and we do not inhumanely cut a small part off and leave the rest. We control the population so that we do not wipe it out. I see these as very different cases. If these dolphins were raised in captivity for this ritual and they were killed in a humane way.....maybe I would switch sides. Maybe.