Cape Town, South Africa — Hundreds of people tried to save a herd of beached whales. It is not known why fifty-five whales beached themselves. Rescuers managed to save about twenty. The rest were shot in what authorities believed to be the most human method of euthanasia. Many of the volunteers became distraught as the sounds of gunshots could be heard across the beach.
May 31, 2009
March 5, 2009
See Humans At Sea World
Ambler, PA And San Diego, CA — Yesterday, the Wissahickon High School FIRST robotics team traveled to San Diego for a regional competition. Arriving a day early, the team went sight seeing to Sea World. Sure, Sea World is a fun place to go any time. However, it was particularly interesting to watch a bunch of science oriented kids interact in this environment.
Is it ethical to treat animals this way in the name of the ethical treatment of animals? There seemed to be some debate about the captivity of marine animals for the purpose of promoting the well-being of animals. Yes, it is important to educate the population. Yes, it is important to rescue and treat hurt animals… especially animals injured by human activities. There were manatee mauled by boat propellers. There were sea otters recovered from oil spills. On the other hand, seeing whales and dolphins confined appeared hypocritical to some extent.
In any event, it was a healthy debate. In just about all the arguments, the questions were about “how humans behave.” Sure, sharks can be man-eaters. However, there wasn’t anything ethical to debate about a sharks aggression. It was much more about human expression. After all, how can Anheuser / Busch use these animals to advertise beer?
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