Posts Tagged ‘Rights’
Dolphins learning
Evidence is mounting rapidly for the social transmission of certain behaviours within some mammal populations. Dolphins are no exception and their ability to learn from others within their social groups may be an important factor when it comes to adapting to human induced change within their environments. But what does ‘social transmission’ of behaviours actually…
Read MoreChasing ‘Personhood’: Do Whales and Dolphins Qualify?
WDC recently participated in a conference held December 6th-8th at Yale University entitled “Personhood Beyond the Human.” The conference was organized with the intention of exploring and challenging the frameworks that guide our human categorization of non-human animal species and other non-human entities, such as human-manufactured intelligence (e.g., robots) or human-animal hybrids (i.e., chimeras). From an…
Read MoreDarwin’s cognitive continuum
Recent media stories about ‘dumb dolphins’ (apparently taken out of context) require some antidote and here’s just the thing. Pour yourself a coffee, settle back and listen to this podcast, which features some of the famous names in chimpanzee, dolphin, parrot, prairie dog and wolf research, to name just a few. The discussion ranges from…
Read MoreIs a dolphin a person?
Professor Thomas I White, philosopher from Loyola Marymount University California, argues in his Primer on Non-human Personhood and Cetacean Rights that dolphins qualify as non-human persons. According to White this matters because persons have what philosophers refer to a ‘moral standing’, which means they are entitled to be treated in certain ways. More than just…
Read MoreWhales: ‘interchangeable parts of the species machine’?
If you read nothing else this week, read this fantastic article by Brandon Keim on ‘Being a Sandpiper’. Keim explores some of the history and effects of taxonomy and behaviourism and how these have shaped modern perspectives on other species.
Read MoreDisabled orca survives thanks to the help of family
This is just another example of deliberate and considerate actions undertaken within an orca family to care for each other, making it so much more devastating to think about these animals being ripped from their families and put into captivity. And even those born in captivity never experience the true culture of orca families, as…
Read MoreIndia announces dolphinarium ban
In a highly progressive move for dolphin protection, India’s Central Zoo Authority has 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. To demonstrate just how progressive this decision is,…
Read MoreIdentifying and respecting other personalities: stories to inspire
The study of animal personalities is rapidly become one of the fastest growing areas of research in behavioural biology and ecology. The term ‘personality’, within this context, is used to describe significant behavioural and physiological differences between individuals of the same species, which are consistent over time in different contexts or situations. For field researchers,…
Read MoreTalking beluga – are we missing the point?
Just as a debate is raging in the US about the proposed import of 18 beluga whales for display scientists in the US have published research which they believe shows that the vocalisation of one particular beluga whale in captivity were remarkably close to human speech. Listen to the recording and judge for yourself. This is…
Read MoreWE ARE NOT ALONE: scientists conclude whales, dolphins and many other species are conscious
Consciousness is often perceived as an ethereal notion which is difficult to pin down. However, finally, a group of eminent scientists meeting to discuss the neurobiological basis of conscious experience and related behaviours agreed that: “Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity…
Read More