Where there is a line between trying to preserve your culture and heritage, and being on the same page with the modern moral values? It is hard to reply to this question because there is no right or wrong answer. One of the examples of this question is the situation on Faroe Islands. People of Faroe Islands have been hunting long pilot whales for centuries; it is part of their culture and part of their identity. Also, it is one of the food sources that they have. However the world is concerned with the custom on the islands. A big number of whales get killed every year by the locals. The act is so cruel that the sea water turns red from the spilled blood. Then the new questions appear: is the hunt still necessary, why the government of Denmark cannot provide a better lifestyle to its people, why such a cruelty still exists today. Based on the research, the whale hunting should be banned because it is dangerous to people’s health, it is outdated tradition, and it is a cruel act.
One of the main reasons why the whale hunting should be banned on Faroe Islands is due to the effects that the whale meat has on the health of the humans who regularly eat it. Many research projects showed that excessive consumption of sea food can decrease cognitive abilities due to the presence of methyl mercury, a toxic pollutant, in the marine food. The population of Faroe Island depends heavily on marine resources. “Today, a whale meat accounts for approximately 30% of total meat produced on the islands (Faroe Government 2004) and is a cultural component of the Faroe lifestyle.” Since the consumption of the whale meat is very popular on the islands it drew attention of many scientists who are aware of the problems that these custom can cause. “Based ...
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O'Barry, Helene Hesselager. "HEART of Darkness." Earth Island Journal (2013): 18-23. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. The author of this article traveled to Faroe Islands and investigated why the hunt of the pilot whales still occurs. The Health department of Faroe Islands issued that the whale meat is dangerous to people, especially females who want to have babies; it is contaminated with dangerously high levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as DDE, a breakdown product of the insecticide DDT. She found out that people hunt whales because of the taste, it is free food, and the hunt is representational to their culture. Faroese, also, like hunting whales because it is the tradition that existed on the islands for centuries. Many of the people on the islands do not care about the side effects of the pilot whale meat.
When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil" he received an onslaught of criticism and reignited the debate concerning big game hunting. Is big game hunting wrong? Should big game hunting continue? Big game hunting has been a very controversial topic for some time and these types of questions are being asked daily. There are a lot of people for it and a lot of people against it. This issue causes a lot of extreme behaviors and ideas by both sides. Those who oppose it believe it to be morally wrong, unfair to the animals and damaging to the environment. Those individuals for it believe that it is the citizens' rights and a way to be involved in the environment. Hunting is the law and shall not be infringed upon. In defense of the hunters' I believe that there are five main issues of concern.
The most effective piece of this documentary, however, was neither the structure of the film nor the specific questions that one is forced to answer regarding the ethical treatment of these killer whales, but the overall questions of whether or not these corporations should be allowed to continue their cycle of abuse toward the animals and whether or not we, as patrons, should encourage their behavior by giving them a monetary profit every day, every month, and every year. Ignorance is forgivable, but with the knowledge given in this documentary: the final two questions raised should be able to answer themselves.
"Imagine if the world you lived in, the space you breathed in, and the freedom you played in were suddenly taken away from you." (Free Willy)
I believe that animals should be treated with respect, but so should people. I would perhaps have a different idea about this if the whales being hunted were nearing extinction, but the truth is, it is the whalers who are nearing extinction. Even though Norway claims that national sovereignty permits them to allow whaling, public opinion is working against them. Whaling in Norway is dropping every year. (3)
The Makah’s seemingly domestic issue of whaling has and is taking on a larger international problem. The United States plays a large part in policing the hunting of whales, one of the most recent examples being the U.S.’s ...
In this research report I will discuss the Killer Whales unique characteristics; complex migratory patterns, how and why it is endangered, and most importantly how we can help them.
Since the European colonization of eastern Africa, big game hunting, also know as "trophy hunting", has been a very controversial topic. During the early days of trophy hunting, dwindling numbers of some of the world’s most unique and prized wildlife was not a problem like it is today. When a trophy hunting dentist from Minnesota paid $55,000 to kill a prized African lion, he unintentionally reignited the heated debate concerning big game hunting. Wildlife conservationists and hunters debate the impact of hunting on the economy and the environment. Legal hunting can be controlled without government intervention, and the expensive sport of trophy hunting could generate a large sum of money to support conservation efforts.
"In Britain the goal is to kill the fox. Because there is no rabies in
After watching several documentaries on how poorly killer whales are treated in captivity, it drew me into researching more information on the treatment of Killer whales that are kept in captivity. I found several scientific journals, and articles on wild life facts of killer whales and I found published books on the treatment of killer whales in captivity. The information I found includes both wild killer whales and killer whales kept in captivity. With the information I found, I plan to prove the shortened lifespan and health problems killer whales get while living in captivity are not normal. In fact the information you learned about killer whales from aquariums and commercial parks are false. This paper will argue why killer whales should not be held captive in commercial parks. This Paper will include information on the killer whale’s diet, the killer whale’s communication, and the killer whale’s physical traits.
When an orca pup is taken away from the ocean and away from its supporting family and sent to a small chlorinated pool with strangers it can cause many potential health hazards for them. The most noticeable health related problem is whale on whale aggression. Hardly any of the killer whales in captivity are related by blood, therefore, most of them are all strangers and will fight or even kill e...
The latest animal rights issue to hit the public is a whale of a controversy. For decades, the public has enjoyed visiting SeaWorld and taking in mesmerizing displays of aquatic performance by orcas, the largest species of dolphins, and their trainers. Recent events have stirred up a media uproar over the safety of these creatures and their trainers. Much of what the public knows about the maltreatment of these creatures comes from a documentary released in 2013 called “Blackfish”. The breeding and captivity of killer whales for entertainment purposes poses a threat not only to the whales, but also the trainers who interact with them.
In the world today, we know that whales are majestic creatures with amazing lifestyles that we don’t completely understand. We also know that however large they are, they are in danger because they have been over hunted and over used by human beings. Today through Commercial Whaling, the whales of the oceans have been put at risk and their population continues to decrease. Countries such as Japan, Iceland, and Norway defy the rules set by The International Whaling Commission under the pretense that they’re whaling for scientific reasons, when in reality they are whaling for commercial reasons of profit. Commercial whaling is a problem in countries around the world, most prominent are the Japanese, and other countries are Iceland and Norway. Over time the status of the whale population has declined because of the increase of technology in whale hunting.
I believe that for countries in which whaling is required to sustain the livelihood of the local markets, exceptions should be made for minimally adequate commercial whaling, supporting any efforts toward the goal of identifying, designing and implementing an alternate source of revenue. That is to say: for those communities which are widely dependent upon this enterprise and for whom their cultures would drastically suffer economically, an exception should be made for a specified number of non-endangered whales per year and efforts should be made to identify ways to significantly reduce or even eliminate the practice.
... In the debate over the ethics of whaling and its regulation since the formation of the IWC, widely diverse arguments have been made concerning the legitimacy of the whaling enterprise and the economic, ethical, and practical aspects of international regulation. Different views of ecology, culture, and legitimacy as they pertain to a valued resource and its exploitation for human purposes. While it is safe to say one must preserve the historical and cultural value of whaling nations and nations around the world, it can also be said of animals. While many nations continue to cling to their cultural ancestry, background of whaling, and the right for scientific research, it is proven that such human endeavors must be carefully and faithfully regulated.
The numbers of marine mammals present in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States has fluctuated over the past century. Declines have been credited to various causes, which are a mix of anthropogenic and natural processes. One major cause of marine mammal decline is whaling. Even though this practice has been prohibited, the effects of commercial whaling in the United States can still be seen today. The main whale species affected included North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica), bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), and gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus). Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were exploited in an increased fashion after World War II (Springer et al., 2003). Whaling did not only affect whale populations, but it also affects populations of seals, sea lions, and sea otters. This is hypothesized to be the result of top-down forces from whaling, forcing great whales to shift their food sources to these smaller marine mammals. During the Second World War, whaling of great whales was at its peak. These whales were used for oils for lubricants, food, and other needs of the people of the United States. However, this heavy use of great whale stocks forced killer whales (Orcinus orca) to begin feeding on smaller marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions, and sea otters (Trites et al., 2006). It is also thought that declines in these smaller marine mammals is due to a decline in nutritional limits in their habitats, competition with fisheries, as well as changing climates.