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cyrus Site Admin
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: Petition 43: Stop the dolphin and whale killings In Japan |
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Must Watch: KILLING DOLPHINS IN JAPAN FOR FOOD Video
Fight To Save Taiji Dolphins Video Clip
Must Watch Educational Scientific Research Video: Dolphins Are Deep Thinkers Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2892089687892750814&q=DOLPHINS
Killer Whale Trainer extraodinaire, John ....
Blue Whale
Petition 43: Stop the dolphin and whale killings (brutal slaughter) in Taiji
Sign the Petition -
View Current Signatures
http://www.petitiononline.com/golfinho/petition.html
To: Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Shinzo Abe
1-6-1 Nagata-cho 1 Chome
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968 JAPAN
Dear Prime Minister Abe,
We are outraged by the annual brutal slaughter of dolphins and whales that takes place in Japan . The images of bloody red water clearly show the world that Japan has little respect for the state of the world’s oceans and for the conservation of the marine resources it claims to support.
Many scientific studies show that the oceans are in decline. We must take whatever actions are necessary to stop their over-exploitation and to protect the creatures that live in them. These dolphins do not belong to Japan . The status of the species of dolphins and whales that you kill are either endangered, threatened, or unknown. It is an unthinkable waste that they will likely end up as a meat product or deceptively sold as whale meat, polluted with toxic levels of mercury and cadmium, killing people that eat it. It is tragic and unacceptable that the remaining dolphins that are not killed will end up destined for death in an aquarium, water park, or "swim with dolphins" program.
In addition, the methods used to kill these animals are cruel.
Corralling the dolphins into bays, then making them suffer a long and painful death by spears, hooks, and drowning is an inhumane way of fishing. This action is disgraceful and has caused much disappointment in the international community.
We demand that Japan permanently and immediately renounce and stop this slaughter. We will work diligently to bring this issue to international light until you have ceased your reprehensible violence.
Sincerely,
Last edited by cyrus on Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:20 pm; edited 9 times in total |
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cyrus Site Admin
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Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 4993
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:56 pm Post subject: Annual Slaughter of Dolphins in Japanese “Drive Fisheries” P |
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Annual Slaughter of Dolphins in Japanese “Drive Fisheries” Protested Worldwide
http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/annual_slaughter_of_dolphins.html
September 20, 2006
WASHINGTON – Humane Society International, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the Animal Welfare Institute today joined in a worldwide protest to denounce Japan's annual slaughter of dolphins by the thousands during the 2nd annual "Japan Dolphin Day." The demonstrations were held at Japanese embassies and consulates in dozens of cities around the world.
Dolphins are hunted in Japan for their meat (for human and animal consumption), to be processed as fertilizer, and because they are considered competition for fish. A growing number are captured live for sale to aquaria and marine parks.
Known as "drive fisheries," these hunts take place from October to March off the shores of remote Japanese port towns, primarily Taiji and Futo. The dolphins caught are ruthlessly herded by boats and loud noises into shallow bays or beaches, cut off by nets, and then killed by having their throats or spines cut. Those selected for live capture are taken out by sling or stretcher and transported to cramped sea pens where they await their sale.
"The drive hunts are without doubt the most brutal way to hunt or capture dolphins anywhere in the world," said Naomi Rose, Ph.D., marine mammal scientist for HSI. "These are sentient, sensitive, social creatures – the terror and trauma of the round-up and slaughter causes enormous suffering. It is bad enough the Japanese use outdated or no science to determine their kill quotas, but the suffering they cause the dolphins before death is unconscionable."
With a growing demand from the marine park industry, the fisheries have found a very lucrative business in the live capture of dolphins and set aside several of the animals for sale to aquaria and marine parks in Japan and the rest of Asia. Each dolphin caught and sold can eventually bring in tens of thousands of dollars when adapted to captivity and trained to perform.
"Obtaining dolphins in this manner for our entertainment and pleasure is not only a crime against nature, but a betrayal of the public sentiment that seeks the protection and welfare of these intelligent and special animals," said Courtney S. Vail, United States Campaigns Officer for WDCS. "Zoos and aquariums that source animals from these brutal hunts are complicit in providing a financial incentive for their unfortunate continuation, and are in direct violation of their own codes of ethics."
Despite growing international outcry, the Japanese government has turned a deaf ear to the criticism and allows the cruelty to continue. Clearly, though, authorities are aware of the negative public relations surrounding their actions as local authorities in both Taiji and Futo post "Keep Out" and "No Photography Allowed" signs near the killing shores in an effort to keep activists from witnessing and filming the slaughter.
"Last year's rally in DC took place under a torrential downpour, and still both young and old turned out to voice their disapproval at this outdated and unnecessary practice," said Serda Ozbenian of AWI and lead organizer of this year's demonstration here. "Japan Dolphin Day gives everyday people the opportunity to unite and play their part in stopping this atrocity once and for all."
Today's annual demonstration to protest the largest slaughter of dolphins in the world was held at the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate office in cities worldwide, including Washington, New York, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Rome, Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, and Manila. Participants included anyone interested in protecting animals, from animal welfare groups to environmentalists, average citizens to school students, dolphin trainers to patrons of aquaria and zoos. |
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cyrus Site Admin
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Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 4993
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject: Comments From |
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http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?golfinho&1
143322. Lila Smith The killing of a whale by the 'most modern methods' is cruel beyond description. An exploding harpoon, meant to kill quickly, rarely does more than rupture the whale's organs. The animal thrashes and gushes blood and begins to drown in its own haemorrhage. It is winched to the side of the harpoon ship, a probe is jabbed into it, and thousands of volts of electricity are run through the animal in an attempt to kill it faster. The whale screams and cries and thrashes. If it is a mother, its calf swims wildly beside her, doomed to its own motherless death later on. Often the electricity fails to dispatch the whale, so it takes 15 to 20 minutes of this torture before it drowns and dies. No matter what one thinks of whales' high intelligence, the advanced social structures, the obvious emotions, and the still mysterious ability to communicate over long distances, this method of slaughter would not be allowed as standard practice in any slaughterhouse in the world. NEW ZEALAND |
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cyrus Site Admin
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Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 4993
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:59 pm Post subject: Navy may deploy anti-terrorism dolphins |
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Navy may deploy anti-terrorism dolphins
By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070213/ap_on_re_us/dolphin_defenders
SAN DIEGO - Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.
The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states.
Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.
"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Program.
LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When a Navy dolphin detects a person in the water, it drops a beacon. This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious swimmer.
Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were sent to do this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last time the animals were used operationally in San Diego was in 1996, when they patrolled the bay during the Republican National Convention.
Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff around the person's leg. The individual can then be reeled in for questioning.
The Navy is seeking public comment for an environmental impact statement on the proposal.
The Navy wanted to deploy marine animals to the Northwest in 1989, LaPuzza said, but a federal judge sided with animal-rights activists concerned about the effects of cooler water, as well as how the creatures would affect the environment. Water in the Puget Sound is about 10 degrees cooler than in San Diego Harbor, which has an average temperature of about 58 degrees, LaPuzza said.
Since then, the Navy has taken the dolphins and sea lions to cold-water places like Alaska and Scandinavia to see how they cope.
"They did very well," LaPuzza said. If the animals are sent to Washington, the dolphins would be housed in heated enclosures and would patrol the bay only for periods of about two hours.
Stephanie Boyles, a marine biologist and spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said that sea mammals do not provide a reliable defense system, and that they should not be kept in small enclosures.
"We believe the United States' citizens deserve the very best defense possible, and this just isn't it," Boyles said, adding that dolphins are easily distracted once in open water. "They don't understand the consequences of what will happen if they don't carry out the mission."
Dolphins can live as long as 30 years. LaPuzza said the Navy occasionally gives its retired animals to marine parks but generally keeps them until they die of old age.
The Navy has been training marine mammals since the 1960s and keeps about 100 dolphins and sea lions. Most are in San Diego, but about 20 are deployed at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.
The Navy hopes eventually to downsize its marine mammal program and replace the animals with machines.
"But the technology just isn't there yet," LaPuzza said. "The value of the marine mammals is we've been doing this for 35 years, and we've ironed out all the kinks." |
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cyrus Site Admin
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:09 pm Post subject: Elephants show capacity for compassion, scientists find |
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cyrus wrote: | Elephants show capacity for compassion, scientists find
Tue Aug 8, 12:22 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060808/sc_afp/sciencebritainanimals
LONDON (AFP) - Elephants pay their respects to lost loved ones and venerated leaders in a way that suggests a human-like capacity for compassion, scientists have said.
In a paper to appear in a scientific journal this month, researchers said Tuesday they came to this conclusion after watching how elephants on a Kenyan game reserve behaved towards a matriarch who fell ill and died.
The dying elephant -- named Eleanor by the researchers from Britain and the United States -- was first assisted by an unrelated matriarch from another family.
At one point the helper, called Grace, was observed lifting the collapsed animal to her feet using her tusks. When Eleanor fell again, Grace tried again to lift her up -- this time without success.
Eleanor died where she fell, and was subsequently visited by elephants not only from her own family, but from four other families as well.
All the animals showed a distinct interest in the body, the scientists discovered, sniffing it with their trunks, hovering a foot over it, or nudging it with their tusks.
"It leads to the conclusion that elephants have a generalised response to suffering and death... and that this is not restricted to kin," they wrote in a paper for the August issue of Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
The research was led by Iain Douglas-Hamilton, from the zoology department at Oxford University, who founded the charity Save the Elephants.
With colleagues from the University of California, his team monitored 50 animals on the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya, tracking them with GPS collars and taking automatically dated and timed photos.
Most animals, apart from humans, seem to show little interest in the dead bodies of their own species -- but chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants are all known to show concern for the sick and dead, the scientists said.
"This behaviour in an animal species can be compared to human behaviour, and indicates that such feelings as compassion may not be restricted to our species alone," Douglas-Hamilton said. |
AmirN wrote: | I wonder if such evidence points to the consciousness of animals. For how can anything that shows compassion and feels in any way not be conscious?
If one buys the argument that consciousness necessitates the presence of a soul, I wonder if this shows that elephants have “souls.”
I wonder if it therefore shows that humans are not the only ones with “souls.”
I wonder if it follows that animals also continue in the afterlife after they die.
I wonder if animals are also judged by God in the afterlife based on the life they led in this life.
I wonder then, why religious people don’t wish to also save the souls of animals by attempting to teach them God’s word and converting them to their respective religions.
I wonder if this has been another demonstration of logic. You remember logic, don't you? It's that thing that's suppressed right before one accepts God.
I wonder a lot of things…. This is just one of them. |
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cyrus Site Admin
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cyrus Site Admin
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 4:35 pm Post subject: Irish dolphins could have their own brogue: scientists |
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Irish dolphins could have their own brogue: scientists
Mon May 14, 1:14 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070514/sc_afp/irelandanimalsdolphins
Irish scientists monitoring dolphins living in a river estuary in the southwest of the country believe they may have developed a unique dialect to communicate with each other, they said Monday.
The Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation (SDWF) has been studying a group of up to 120 bottle-nose dolphins in the River Shannon using vocalisations collected on a computer in a cow shed near Carrigaholt, County Clare.
As part of a research project, student Ronan Hickey digitised and analysed a total of 1,882 whistles from the Irish dolphins and those from Cardigan Bay in Wales on a computer and separated them into six fundamental whistle types and 32 different categories.
Of the categories, he found most were used by both sets of dolphins -- but eight were only heard from the Irish dolphins.
"We are building up a catalogue of the different whistle types they use and trying to associate them with behaviour like foraging, resting, socialising and the communications of groups with calves," project leader Simon Berrow told AFP.
"Essentially we are building up what is like a dictionary of words they use or sounds they make."
Berrow, a marine biologist, said the dolphins' clicks are used to find their way around and locate prey. The whistles are communications.
"They do a whole range of other sounds like barks, groans and a kind of gunshot," he said.
"The gunshot is an intense pulse of sound. Sperm whales use it to stun their prey.
"When I first heard it I was surprised as I thought sperm whales were the only species who used it. We can speculate the dolphins are using it for the same reason as the sperm whales."
References in local legend indicate there have been dolphins in the Shannon
estuary for generations and they may even have been resident there as far back as the 6th century.
They are regularly seen by passengers on the Shannon ferry and an estimated 25,000 tourists take special sight-seeing tours on local boats to visit them. |
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