Personhood Rights for Whales?

[TelosianEmbrace]

Personhood Rights for Whales?
Research has proven whales and dolphins are self-aware, have personality and think about others in way similar to humans. Scientists will present evidence at international conference in Vancouver this weekend.

Kendra Wong February 16, 2012

Whales and dolphins are intelligent and cultural creatures and should be granted basic personhood rights, scientists will argue this weekend in Vancouver.Lori Marino, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, and Thomas White of Loyola Marymount University in California plan to present the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Vancouver this weekend.

The declaration aims to open a discussion about the ethical and policy implications of giving cetaceans basic personhood rights.

According to the scientists, research has proven that whales have cultural and cognitive abilities similar to humans.

Whales are self-aware — they can recognize themselves in mirrors — they understand symbolic language and they think about others in a way comparable to humans.

“They’re very similar to us: (they) have a sense of individual identity, personality, the ability to control behaviour and abstract thinking,” White said. “They’re even more social beings than humans are.”

They also have complex cultural lives involving learning, the transmission of cultural traits from one generation to the next and they use tools.

“We’ve shown that all these qualities that make humans persons are shared with other animals,” said Marino. “(They) shouldn’t be treated like property or objects — shouldn’t be confined, captured, slaughtered or exploited and all the things we still do to dolphins and whales,” she said.

Annelise Sorg, president of the Coalition for No Whales in Captivity, said the symposium will “open up a door that hasn’t been opened to any other species before.”

I believe this is a fantastic idea! These are the innovative ways we need to approach the current difficulties we find on Earth. We need to 'think' differently, laterally. Soon enough the days of maltreatment of whales and dolphins will be gone forever.

[Timreh]

Looks like a very encouraging and positive step forward, I will be keen to hear the outcome from this weekend.
I think we all recognise and appreciate how these beautiful creatures are so far advanced and operate on a level way beyond most humans!

[modwiz]

Looks like a very encouraging and positive step forward, I will be keen to hear the outcome from this weekend.
I think we all recognise and appreciate how these beautiful creatures are so far advanced and operate on a level way beyond most humans!

LOL. Ticks operate on a level way beyond a bankster like Lloyd Blankfein, they have the decency to drop off when they're full. And they're just parasites.

I like the cetacean recognition idea.

[Ria]

I completely support this. Wait to see how this affects the whaling industry and the killing of dolphins. Japanese and the Chines seem to be the main offenders. along with the the global war machine. [tarring us all]

[TelosianEmbrace]

Looks like a very encouraging and positive step forward, I will be keen to hear the outcome from this weekend.
I think we all recognise and appreciate how these beautiful creatures are so far advanced and operate on a level way beyond most humans!

LOL. Ticks operate on a level way beyond a bankster like Lloyd Blankfein, they have the decency to drop off when they're full. And they're just parasites.

I like the cetacean recognition idea.

Indeed, modwiz. There are very few animals that go on killing after they are sated. Animals on the whole, are a lot smarter than most of us. Let us take, for example, wolves. When a dominant wolf has the ability to tear the throat out of a defeated opponent it doesn't. Both understand the battle has been won/lost without the need for dismemberment or loss of life.

An organisation that is doing tremendous work in championing the cause of whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and many more sea creatures is the international non profit organisation Sea Shepherd www.seashepherd.org headed by the indomitable Captain Paul Watson. The bravery of the crew when standing up against Japanese whalers is unquestionable. Another is Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society www.oceanfutures.org

I am passionate about the ocean and all within her.

[CdnSirian]

This idea is better late than never...I still have not brought myself to watch The Cove. Just can't.:eek:

[sygh]

I love this!!!!!!!!! Yes, yes, and a thousand times yes. Give them their rights!. Enough. We are learning. Finally, we are really learning.

[NeverMind]

Five hundred years ago a well known person said: "The time will come when the killing of animals will be regarded as equally barbaric as the killing of people."
Only yesterday I was thinking how, five hundred years later, that time has not come yet.
Well, it seems today we are a tiny step closer to that.

Needless to say, I am completely supportive of this idea.
The only thing I resent - deeply - is the general fascist mentality that it is up to humans to bestow "rights" on anyone - rights that are the natural birth-right of every living being on Earth - and also the fact that it is only the animals that humans - the blindest of the blind - can perceive as being similar to them are being considered for this honour.

But of course, even this tiny step is a step in the right direction, and I do hope even this doesn't turn out to be "too much", even now, 500 years from 500 years ago.

[jorr lundstrom]

http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt81/sakasvattaja/vitknlval.jpg

[NeverMind]

Any news from the symposium?
Any reactions?

I don't have the time to search the web in-depth right now, but I am interested in this topic.

[TelosianEmbrace]

Some relative sites in this debate:
www.nonhumanrightsproject.org/

The mission of the Nonhuman Rights Project is, through education and litigation, to change the common law status of at least some nonhuman animals from mere “things,” which lack the capacity to possess any legal right, to “persons,” who possess such fundamental rights as bodily integrity and bodily liberty, and those other legal rights to which evolving standards of morality, scientific discovery, and human experience entitle them.

Here is the relevant page on the AAAS site:
www.aaas.confex.com/aaas/2012/webprogram/Session4617.html

The session will kick off in the next 30 mins.

[christian]

It is often said that lightworkers on earth function as a beacon for higher frequencies, anchoring them on earth, healing the energy grid. That's what dolphins and wales do as well, fellow lightworkers.

[NeverMind]

It is often said that lightworkers on earth function as a beacon for higher frequencies, anchoring them on earth, healing the energy grid. That's what dolphins and wales do as well, fellow lightworkers.

It's not that I doubt you (not at all - I have the highest possible opinion of them), but where does this information come from?

[christian]

It is often said that lightworkers on earth function as a beacon for higher frequencies, anchoring them on earth, healing the energy grid. That's what dolphins and wales do as well, fellow lightworkers.

where does this information come from?

Logic, I mean I could cite others, who said the same, but they just used logic as well. Especially the remarkable sensitivity and compassion of dolphins has been observed over and over, how could such a creature not be a lightworker in its own right? - And that's how I feel about whales and dolphins, so all in all: My post is based on subjective impressions. :biggrin1:

[NeverMind]

It is often said that lightworkers on earth function as a beacon for higher frequencies, anchoring them on earth, healing the energy grid. That's what dolphins and wales do as well, fellow lightworkers.

where does this information come from?

Logic, I mean I could cite others, who said the same, but they just used logic as well. Especially the remarkable sensitivity and compassion of dolphins has been observed over and over, how could such a creature not be a lightworker in its own right? - And that's how I feel about whales and dolphins, so all in all: My post is based on subjective impressions. :biggrin1:


OK, I understand. To me, that is a perfectly acceptable "source". :-)
And, as you can probably deduce from my first post in this thread, I have a very high opinion of them.

[Timreh]

India has taken a huge step.. :happy:

India cites dolphin personhood in ban on dolphinaria In an unprecedented move, the Government of India announced a nationwide ban on dolphinaria, citing dolphin intelligence and sensitivity as part of the reason for their decision and arguing that dolphins should be recognised as non-human persons.
India's Central Zoo Authority issued a circular announcing the decision of India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests not to allow the establishment of dolphinaria in the country and advising state governments across India to reject any such proposals. The ciruclar states:
'cetaceans in general are highly intelligent and sensitive, and various scientists who have researched dolphin behavior have suggested that the unusually high intelligence… means that dolphin should be seen as "non-human persons" and as such should have their own specific rights and is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose'.
As a government that represents nearly one sixth of the world's population, this affirmation of the unique status of dolphins at the government level is a significant step forward in the campaign to have the rights of whales and dolphins recognised. It is also gratifying to see the argument of non-human personhood being supported by the Central Zoo Authority and being used to effect a positive practical outcome, which will eventually bring an end to dolphin captivity in this vast country.
(Source: http://www.cetaceanrights.org/news/latest_news_130813.php )