Well I don't know how many of you saw this, it received very little coverage in the American press. I saw this on the BBC website today. Apparently the world's major whaling nations (Norway and Japan) were close to an agreement with environmental groups that would have ultimately led to a significant decrease in whaling. At the last minute, however, Australia tried to insert much stronger language that had the effect of killing the deal. At issue is whether whales compete with humans for fish. That is, whether whales should be "culled" (read killed for profit) so as to prevent them from competing with coastal nations fishing income.
Why do we need to have International Whaling Commissions to decide on something like this. Whales are among the most amazing and intelligent animals on the planet, and a group of nations (and thereby millions if not billions of people) believe that it is the prudent thing to do to kill them if they might be causing some nations somewhere (like Japan and Norway) to lose a few bucks each year on fishing. I find such incredible short-sightedness beyond comprehension. I've taken a look at the economic profiles of both countries (I'm sure there are other culprits, but these two are the biggest and the loudest), and neither one looks to be in danger of going the route of Iceland any time soon. Is it really worth killing thousands of these magnificent creatures each year for any kind of economic gain? If you had a neighbor that made a living off of catching and selling sparrows, would he (yeah, I'm pretty sure it'd be a guy) be justified in killing your cat to protect his economic well being? What if your neighbor made a living by digging up worms and selling them to fisherwomen? Would it be okay for him to shoot all the birds in the neighborhood to make sure that the early ones don't get those worms before him? No offense to bird or cat lovers, but the unquestioned intelligence of a whale would seem to place them slightly above either of those other two, no?
That's all I have to say. For those of you just about to sit down to a whale meat sandwich, shame on you.
3 comments:
This seems to be the latest trend with those who want to hunt endangered wildlife...make it look like it's them or us. I read an article today about grizzlies and salmon...locals in Alaska are calling for "bear management" so there will be more salmon for the fishermen. Same as with the wolf versus elk populations...for the sake of sport hunters. I've been whale watching and this issue really gets to me.
I'm not sure the intelligence of the whale should have anything to do with it. Intelligent people are killed everyday and they don't want fish. That may not have made sense.
Pippin and Mellifera are VERY upset about that slight to cats. They were also worried about cats being killed. I assured them that would never happen and that cats are far more intelligent than whales and people. They are ok now but aren't happy with the poster. Of course Mellifera was still upset because he implied she needed to lose weight. She's been peeking in mirrors ever since and looking sad.
Anyway what was I saying? Oh yeah. Ever since I got cats I've become more aware of the feelings of animals. Now it really upsets me when people are mean to animals and I'm pretty sure killing them is mean. I keep wanting to be a vegetarian but I forget. My point is (I think I have one) that people are greedy, cats are smart and no one should kill whales or anything else.
What you said made sense about intelligent people who don't eat fish getting killed everyday...I'm sure a few vegans get snuffed per day...but then they may not be getting enough protein in their diets, so not sure about the intelligence thing. They are somewhat compassionate though!
After what you said about Pippin and Mellifera being upset, I'm not sharing this blog with anyone here! You could tell them I said "anyone" in reference to all of my cats. That might make them feel a bit better!
Post a Comment