UPDATE According to Ecorazzi: About 5:30 a.m. yesterday, fisherman from the small coastal town — made infamous as the backdrop for the new dolphin documentary The Cove — drove about 50 pilot whales and 100 bottlenose dolphins towards the shore. Instead of funneling the dolphins into the deadly cove for a blood bath, it appears that for now, concessions are being made in light of the public outcry from the movie. According to the Associated Press, 50 dolphins will be sold to aquariums. The rest will be set free.
Unfortunately, the 50 pilot whales did not receive a similar reprieve and were killed and sold for their meat. So, we’ve got a really mixed situation going on here — especially when it comes to dolphins being sold to aquariums.
Sad news in the most recent DawnWatch Alert, I’m afraid. The wolf hunts continue in Idaho until a possible further ruling from a judge that USFWS screwed up in delisting the wolves.
One big reason wolves are so despised in Idaho, and other states, is sheep. Sheep are raised for food and wool, so that wool sweater you’re wearing, or those wool pants, or that wool coat you’ll be sporting this winter are all responsible for the deaths of wolves. These wolves are very near extinction, too. PLEASE consider carefully your choices.
While you’re considering your clothing choices, you need to consider your entertainment choices, too. The Taiji dolphin slaughter happens every year so that aquariums around the world have a fresh supply of captive dolphins they can train to do tricks. If you’re a regular visitor to any aquarium, your money is contributing to this despicable slaughter of highly intelligent marine wildlife EVERY STINKING YEAR.
Before I share a wonderful New York Times blog, I unfortunately have to share the news that the dolphin slaughter, on hold for a few days while Ric O’Barry was in Taiji with journalists, is now beginning, with dolphins having been rounded up into the cove. Of course we should not forget that meanwhile, the absolutely needless slaughter of highly intelligent and sentient animals, pigs for example, continues in the U.S., with numbers in the billions per year. But it looked for a while like the dolphins had a reprieve, so this is a let down. The dolphin slaughter will end — but apparently not this year. I will share more on that issue when I have it.
Today, while the wolf hunt discussed in last week’s DawnWatch alert continues, Randy Cohen, known as “The Ethicist” from the New York Times, brings us a blog headed, “Killing Wolves for Fun.” It makes cogent, moving, and sometimes hilarious arguments against the wolf hunt. I highly recommend checking it out.
Then, having read the comments posted, Cohen responds with another piece simply headed, “More on the Wolf Hunt.” His response to the pro-hunting comments will be invaluable reading to those who sometimes find themselves in the position of having to argue against hunting.
Enjoy them both, and comment!
Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited — leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
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Filed under: animal rights, endangered species, wildlife conservation Tagged: | taiji dolphin slaughter, wolves killed for wool, wolves slaughtered in idaho
