Self-Reflection



Throughout the course of this class, I have learned several things, but moreover this class took me more into depth on some topics that I have merely brushed across in my life so far. This project in general has forced me really truly take the animal kingdom apart and realize that each and every species has its own issues, history, and social perception. I have learned so much about dolphins and can’t wait to start researching some of these topics about other animals and species. I have learned that the human and non-human animal relationship is filled with love and compassion in some ways and yet in other ways still filled with misconception and misunderstanding. We, as a human race, have so very much to learn about these other animals. I had many thoughts and perceptions of my own coming into class, and although some may have slightly altered, many have only strengthened or pushed me to want more knowledge about these topics. The topics throughout this course have all impacted me greatly, for I now want to go out with this information and impact others, and make a difference for all these animals. As far as the top of the list goes, I would have to say breed discrimination and breed bullying are huge for me just because it is so widely misunderstood and miscommunicated. I am a former pitbull owner, and know from experience that these dogs are no different from the “sweet natured” dogs. Another topic for me would indeed be the marine mammals in captivity and zoo animal conservation because these are areas in which I may work in my future considering I want to use my animal science degree working with exotic animals. This course is extremely beneficial in the aspect that it instills facts and knowledge for these students to go out and share with the world, in turn hopefully making changes and a difference, but it also instills passion and compassion. These students will feel compassionate towards these animals and it my drive them to be so passionate about it that they go out and take on one or multiple of these issues on their own. I know that this class has instilled even more compassion in me, not towards animals because that compassion could not grow anymore, but towards humans. I have learned to forgive humans and try to help them understand these issues rather than just getting angry, frustrated and hateful towards them. This is a lesson I can carry with me through life and will positively affect me forever.

 

Moral Vision Statement

My moral vision statement for non-human animals is as follows:

All non-human creatures should be treated with the same and equal consideration that our fellow humans are treated with. This does not mean equal rights, for what would a dog do with the right to vote, and a dolphin with the right to obtain a valid driver’s license. This just means that before something happens involving a non-human animal we should look at them as if they are humans for a moment to decide whether the situation is just and base consequences off of this if harm should come to the animal or if the use is found to be unjust. On that note, the exception would be animal slaughter for food and food alone, as mentioned below.

If I were to create my own personal philosophy, I would make dog breeding, buying and selling illegal for a certain number of years, and leave the public the only option of adoption. Then I would set regulations and standards for breeding to resume after pet overpopulation has decreased, and all breeders must be registered with a specific department of government. Only one litter per year would be allowed to each breeder by each breeding dog, and the number of breeding dogs allowed would not exceed four dogs. Inbreeding would also be considered illegal with consequences to follow. The USDA and a certified member of the AHA would make rounds several times a year to all registered breeders. If you are caught as an unregistered breeder- if you have animals for sale on the internet or newspapers, etc. - then you will be fined a giant sum of money and legal defenses will determine your punishment based on the severity of the case. All vet offices throughout the country would be forced to hold a sale on spaying and neutering once or twice per year at a very cheap rate for animals in their area. Animals hunted must have a steady or increasing population, must be in their natural, unfenced habitat, and must have a distinct purpose for being hunted such as the consumption of the meat. Hunting an animal for its skin or only certain parts of its body is prohibited, as is the buying, selling, trading and promoting of animal skin and body parts, i.e. elephant ivory. After humane means of slaughter are established for slaughterhouses, they will be given a number of animals that they cannot exceed in slaughter per year and people must register if they will be buying meat with a brief survey as to how much they consume throughout the year so that meat will not be wasted and animals will not be slaughtered for nothing. Cameras must be placed in each and every slaughterhouse by a member of the American Humane Association who will then have direct access to all footage in all slaughterhouses all over the country in on place at the touch of a button. This footage can also be accessed by the USDA and AHA when they come around for inspections as well. Any use of an animal by the entertainment industry must be inspected several times per year by the AHA or have a full time certified AHA member on staff at all times and also must have cameras installed to which will also follow the above guidelines. All research facilities will be under the same camera laws as the two aforementioned, and must also have a member of the AHA for inspections or on full time staff. Animals kept by zoos, aquariums and any other industries associated must have adequate means of space as well as passing a mental, emotional and physical stress test performed by professionals, each year. Animals may not be given a disease or harmed in order to further research; they must find animals already injured or diseased to operate on. I feel that these requirements are things that are doable in my life as well as others. It would also create more jobs with the AHA and possibly the USDA. These standards would help ensure humane situations for all animals in these situations until further adjustments for humane methods can be made.

 

Three Main Points

Here I will discuss three main points I would like to address and see change in.

·        Captive Breeding

 

§  Although captive breeding would not address the issue of these animals being held in captivity, it is a step in the right direction. The reason I will back this statement is because as in other environments, such as with exotic zoo animals, captive breeding provides a chance for more animals to be introduced to the world of captivity without decreasing the population of those outside the captive facilities in nature. The annual Taiji, Japan slaughter is a roundup of thousands of dolphins into a small cove where trainers can pick and choose a few dolphins for captivity, walk away with their purchases and not think about it again until the following year when they return if need be. The dolphins left behind are slaughtered in mass amounts, in painful and gruesome ways. That means thousands of dolphins were wiped out of the population in one day. Due to the fact that dolphins have only one offspring in a birth, this causes us to believe that the animals could soon be endangered if this is kept up. Another benefit of captive breeding is that the animal will have no memory of the ocean, where it belongs, and therefore will not experience the detrimental effects of being taken from his or her native environment. This does not only benefit the dolphin, but the facilities as well because it is cheaper to allow a natural birth than to purchase more dolphins, and secondly, the facilities can advertise that they do not partake in these awful occurrences and possibly drive more sales for their park from people who have the animal’s best interest in mind.  Through this route, although some dolphins will still suffer, many more will be saved and that is why it can be used as a stepping stone in the right direction.

 



·        Pods Together

 



§  Pods together means that once an animal is born through captive breeding, it will remain in that same facility, in the same enclosure as its fellow family members. These species create tightknit pods made up of family members and close friends. This is commonly ripped from these animals during capture causing extreme mental and emotional pain and even grief. The experience is traumatizing and incredibly stressful to these animals and causes a decline in health over the years. This can benefit the facilities also through advertisement of not ripping apart the families, and could also benefit the trainers because the happier dolphins may be even more willing to perform.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7NRRDz_JM
Watch this clip of a mega-pod of dolphins!
 



·        Better Accommodations

§  Lastly, I would like to bring up that these animals need adequate amounts of space, and more than likely, no facility will ever meet these requirements. However, effort in this area will go a long way. The facilities that hold these marine mammals in captivity need to realize that these animals naturally travel hundreds of miles across the ocean on the daily. They may then understand that that the space allotted to them in these enclosures, is just not enough. It would be of great justice to the animals to make larger enclosures and ensure more space to these beautiful creatures so that the environment is less stressful for them. They should also allow spaces where the animals can go to be away from other animals, away from the eyes of viewers, and away from the crowds. This gives the animals the freedom to choose whether they want to be in the spotlight or be social with the humans. Although this adjustment can be very pricey, it can also be advertised as better quality and care which might bring in more people who care about these things, which many do. This may also inspire more creative living environments, as I will mention in the next bullet, and could also inspire, or even drive other facilities to meet this requirement.

 

§  I also have this vision that someday these animals can still be in entertainment without being captive. My visions are along the lines of a special group of people working with a wild pod of dolphins and training them to do tricks the same way, while still allowing them to live in their native environment. The trainers would provide incentives for the animals to stick around or a least keep coming back, and the two groups would work together in harmony. Dolphins, even those in the wild, have proven to display a love for pleasing humans. With the right training, practice, ideas and incentives, I would love for this vision to someday come true! Until then, we must stick with stepping stones in the right direction!

 

Con Letter



Dear WDC Non-Profit Organization,

It is my clear understanding that you are against our marine mammal friends being held in captivity. I completely understand your concerns about this topic and I too have concerns.

The major concerns I have are indeed about the welfare of these animals, their health and their population security. I am familiar with the annual Taiji dolphin slaughter in Japan. I am also aware that this is executed based on the income these fishermen will receive when selling these animals to facilities holding them in captivity. Many dolphins are injured and severely damaged mentally, physically, and emotionally during this massive capture, and those not chosen for captive facilities are then slaughtered in incredibly gruesome ways causing trauma for those left alive and those dying a slow and painful death. A very high percentage of the whales in captivity are subjects of a collapsed dorsal fin, displaying that they are living in high stress situations. The pods of these marine animals were ripped apart in order to keep a few dolphins and whales here and there on display, another tragically distressing process these animals must endure throughout captivity. Lastly, these animals are confined in such tiny spaces compared to the vast measures of the ocean that they would naturally travel daily in their native environment. This all being said, I must now play devil’s advocate for the organizations out there still trying to do good by these animals.

Many people, if not for these parks and organizations, would never have the opportunities to see these majestic creatures in person, especially not with such close encounters. Although changes need to be made, some of these organizations could very well be educational in some ways. These encounters and visits may also increase the number of people interested in the animals and could drive those people to invest time, money, or hands towards research, conservation, and just helping these animals out. The fact that these facilities may increase awareness about the animals and species as a whole does at least provide some benefit. I hope some of my aforementioned points will ease a few of your concerns until changes can be made.

Best Wishes with your organization,

Mychal Lowrance

 

http://us.whales.org/whales-and-dolphins

Pro Letter



Dear SeaWorld,

I am writing this short letter to address the topic of your dolphins and whales in captivity. I know that recent and past events have brought many concerns to your notice and to the surface that maybe you haven’t necessarily considered, or have considered, but are not sure how to address the situation.

You may be more concerned with the use of these species in your facilities due to the number of people out in the world that are now against the use of these species, which could cause a decline in your business by said people not visiting your parks and sharing the news as to why they shouldn’t visit with others around them. I would like to shed light on the fact that despite the vast numbers out there against these animals in captivity, you will always have immense numbers of people who will not research the topic, or be told about the topic and will never have reasons to not visit your facilities. Along with that, you will also always have children and even adults interested in visiting these parks just to see these animals because they are so majestic and not something that can be seen easily in the wild, especially with such close encounters. You may still be able to argue that these visits are beneficial to humans because humans may leave your parks with a new love for these species and may do what they can to educate themselves on the creatures, or even reach out with a helping hand or extra money to organizations for these animals. Most people, if not for these parks, would never in their lives encounter these majestic beauties; therefore you can still argumentatively claim that you are still doing the world a favor.

As for the vast numbers already against the use of these species in captivity, there are a few things you could possibly address to ease some issues that these people have. First and foremost, you should breed your own of these animals, rather than go out and capture them from their native environment and rip them from their pods to bring them to you. This capture is devastating to the animal mentally, emotionally and physically, and also causes a tremendous number of deaths among the many dolphins captured and not taken to facilities. That being said, when you breed your own dolphins or whales, you need to keep them together. This will ease the grief and anxiety these animals feel when they are ripped away from their family members, and may also give them a more pleasurable experience because they can stay with their family, which in turn makes them much happier. One last piece of advice I will give is that you try to make better accommodations for these animals, meaning much more space. These animals use up immeasurable amounts of space in their native environments, therefore allotting them the most amount of space that you possibly can is the best route for displacing some of the anger this causes for advocates of the species.

Best Wishes in your future endeavors,

Mychal Lowrance

 

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Attractions/Exhibits/Dolphin-Cove

A Controversial Topic Involving Dolphins

There are several controversial topics pertaining to dolphins, and because I won’t be talking about them all, I encourage you to research them because they are very interesting things to learn about and it is excellent knowledge to have. The topic I will be talking about however is dolphins and other marine mammals in captivity. Orca whales are technically considered dolphins and therefore they will also be represented under this category.

 

The reason behind choosing the topic of captivity is because it encompasses several different aspects of the controversies with dolphins. First and foremost, I would like to invite you to watch two different documentaries that will shed a better light on this subject than I ever could, “The Cove” and “Blackfish”.

Because I had no access to online streaming of “The Cove”, I included a few links below of short videos to help you get an understanding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMy0ely7poo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8JC_239vnc

And here is a link to the “Blackfish” trailer, followed by a link of the online streaming of this movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLOeH-Oq_1Y

http://www.thegreatplanet.com/blackfish/

In my next section of posts, I will be going more into depth, inspecting and discussing this topic further on the blog. Therefore, I will only be shedding light on a few aspects in this post.

The Cove, as mentioned under Speciesism in a previous post, is a documentary covering the live slaughters of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. This is a yearly event and causes mass, brutal death to colossal numbers of dolphins. This is relevant because this massacre happens due to the need for dolphins in captivity. Places that have dolphins in captivity for any reason, had to get them from somewhere and although some may not participate and may never have due to breeding in captivity, the fact still stands that some marine captivities do still retrieve dolphins from Japan in the dolphin round up and after a few have been chosen for different businesses all the dolphins remaining are slaughtered and sold for meat; meat that is incredibly dangerous for human consumption that is.

These dolphins are used for the entertainment industry all over the world for various reasons, also discussed in previous posts. Initially, I had always realized that dolphins and other animals in captivity probably aren’t as happy in captivity because they aren’t free and don’t always have the opportunities to express their natural instincts. I did not, however, think that it could cause psychological problems for them. I assumed if they were taken young enough that they didn’t remember being taken then maybe they would just think that this life in captivity was normal. In some cases, that maybe true, but in others the animal does remember the freedom in the ocean and their pods and this causes them severe trauma. I am disheartened that this capturing still happens when other places breed them in captivity just fine. But overall, I am sad knowing that these animals could potentially be severely depressed with life. Some of what I read made it appear as though this is much worse in orca whales than in dolphins, but not uncommon in dolphins. Without being able to talk to the animals, it is very difficult to communicate their feelings, and thus we will probably continue to use them however we’d like unfortunately.

 

Resources:

http://www.thegreatplanet.com/blackfish/

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/captive_marine/

 

Dolphins in Religion or Mythology

As mentioned in the history of dolphins, they have long been shown throughout history playing roles in religions. Mythology and the Greek gods took special liking to these beautiful creatures of the sea and included them in many tales. Below is a sample of dolphins in a Mythological story of Poseidon.

 

Poseidon and the Dolphin's Feat

 

A Love Story

Poseidon and Amphitrite

 There once came a time where Poseidon was feeling extreme loneliness. Full of anger, he was stirring up storms so strong that made the seas and heavens unite...

To combat his sad feelings, Poseidon set out to find a wife. On his way, he stumbled upon the mermaid Amphitrite, a sea nymph with golden hair and shimmering blue eyes, dancing on the island of Naxos with her girlfriends. Captured by her extraordinary beauty, Poseidon couldn't help falling in love with her and asked her to marry him.

 Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Greek Titan of the seas Oceanus and the daughter of the gentle Sea god Nereus, was trying to protect her virginity in any way possible. So she refused Poseidon's proposal, telling him that she disliked his violent nature, and then flew to the Atlas Mountains to escape.

 However, Poseidon was determined. So he sent his messenger Delphinus, the king of the dolphins, to locate the mermaid and win her heart.

 The dolphin king obeyed and started a long, perilous journey to find the love of his master. When he finally located the maid, he promised her that, if she married Poseidon, all the energies of Poseidon would balance and tranquility would come to the world of waters. No strong sea would ever do harm to the seamen again.

Touched with emotion, Amphitrite surrendered and she married Poseidon. According to Apollodorus, the couple gave birth to two daughters, the Nymphs Rhode and Benthesicyme, and a son, the merman Triton, with the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish.

 

 The use of dolphins in Greek Mythology caused the Greeks and many other people around the world to believe that these were righteous animals looking out for the good of mankind. In many cases they were shown bringing love together, and rescuing human lives. Stories such as this one would only impact dolphins in a positive way and cast them in a positive light, which is an excellent asset, lucky for them!

Resources:

http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/poseidon/stories/poseidon-amphitrite/