Let’s look at the justifications people use for their own “in-dolphin” behaviour.
Dolphins are “killers”.
The secret is out. They sneak around in the dark depths of a SeaWorld aquarium like a gang of bored teenagers looking for trouble. Or are they (and their cousins the Orcas) just tricksters who go along with human games to get fish because they are just as basically lazy as the people who sit in the stands drinking super-sized Slurpies waiting for the enslaved species to entertain them with flips and squeaks, right? Let’s face it, humans are the ones who are bored with their own lives even though they aren’t the ones stuck in a tank 24/7.
The dolphin is indeed guilty of killing…killing time.
Dolphins are “rapists”.
They attack human females and try to get jiggy with them. Google it to find YouTube videos and you’ll see the “supposed” proof of that. I’ll let you form your own opinion on this one, but in the view of this Woman Not Waiting, the accused dolphin is no different than your neighbour’s “intact” Great Dane, except bigger and stronger. Encourage the dog and he’ll hump you until you say Ewwwwwe! Same thing with a dolphin or any wild creature that has sex for fun. And what could be more fun that having a little rub down with a willing human and making them giggle? Yeah baby!
The dolphin is indeed guilty of what? Of being encouraged to act like a college boy on spring break.
Dolphins are “bad”.
They kill their young, rape their females, and have bi-sexual orgies. Orgies? Dear Gaea! How horribly human of them. Anthropomorphic interpretations of inter-dolphin behaviour are what they are— interpretations. We are not in their heads and quite frankly it’s none of our business. A female dolphin is not sexually active when she is rearing her young. The male dolphins are randy like a…well…like a college boy on spring break. How do we know if the females are consenting or not? And not every dolphin kills young or else the entire species would be extinct.
The dolphin is indeed guilty of being a wild animal…as is the human.
But when dolphins do kill…they get the job done.
Of all the abuse they suffer at the hands of humans only ONE documented human killing has occurred by a known dolphin in Brazil after it had been abused repetitively. ONE!!! It apparently was not amused at someone trying to shove an ice cream cone down it’s blow hole. Dolphins are intelligent after all.
SeaWorld has had 3 killings perpetuated by one single Orca in captivity. That is only ONE of all the sexually frustrated Orcas in captivity. I would hazard a guess that there are more murders of prison guards than that occurring in human jails.
Now’s let’s look at the flip side. How many murders of dolphins are there by the hands of humans?
Here’s one figure from one location: 23,000 per year in Japan in a place known as The Cove.
But you can change that. You don’t have to be an accomplice to the slaughter.
Before you take a child or the child in you to a dolphin show…stop…go back home…jump on the internet…watch The Cove…and if you still want to experience a dolphin, book yourself a boat trip to see a wild pod in their natural habitat because dolphins are really non-human persons.
They call each other by name in their own unique dolphin way, they recognize themselves in mirrors and on television, and they even enjoy checking themselves out. They have their own personalities just like dogs, horses, elephants, and any number of self-aware beings. They can suffer from mental illnesses. They can exhibit “unacceptable” behaviours. They learn, they problem solve, and they love to play.
So flick off those heels and slip on some flippers. The dolphins are asking for help.
Get me some flippers a ticket to Tahiti, I’m ready to swim with the dolphins. Saw the cove once,that is enough. Give me some action steps to follow up with.
One thing you can do is to find out if Flint has an aquarium dolphin show and boycott it. Also pass the knowledge around especially to people with families who like to take their kids to see dolphin shows. Join or start a petition on Avaaz.org or change.org. If more people knew about this, then they likely would think twice about supporting places like SeaWorld. If not, then it is their conscious and Karma has a way…muahahaha.
So much for the First Amendment. I tried to watch “The Cove” and received this message…
“This video is not available in your country.”
Well isn’t that odd. I’ve experienced that with videos available in the US but not in Canada. I do find that a little disturbing because it means the internet is being censored.