Whaling is a business that many people believe belongs in the past. Although it is going on in more countries inside and outside the international whaling commission (IWC) than is generally recognised. Public debates have given the impression that we only find this activity in Japan, Iceland and Norway. Whaling is a senseless act that needs to be stopped.
Once it came to light the number of whales being killed was putting the whale populations under threat, a ban was introduced. This ban was introduced by the body that controls whaling - International Whaling Commission. Many still argue against the ban for whaling. Countries such as Japan, Iceland and Norway want to uplift this ban that is stopping them from whaling. The simple fact of it
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Therefore this makes whale hunting unimaginable. To this day whale hunters still use the same methods as they did in 1946. These methods were inhumane and devastating. They use exploding harpoons to catch and haul the whales in and many high powered rifles to finish them off. Unfortunately this still does not capture the violence of a whale hunt. Whales are pursued till exhaustion overtakes them, then harpooned. Harpoons are not always fatal. This means they can be harpooned many more times. Wounded, they are then dragged onto the whaling vessel . On the vessel the whales are the speared or shot multiple times with high powered rifles. Whales are able to slow their breathing and heart rate, so many that appear dead are still conscious and feel immense pain. Eventually the whales die of suffocation. Dr Lillie a ship 's physician on a whale expedition in 1946 said, “The gunners themselves admit that if whales could scream, the industry would stop, for nobody would be able to stand it.” This statement clearly tells us that this act against whales is so cruel, if they had a voice people would not be able to handle the things being said. For it would be to honest people would think they were lying.
Whaling is causing a negative effect on the world. It is endangering an already endangered species and using excessive force against something that is not able to fight back. Whalers are also claiming to
The documentary “Blackfish” focused on killer whales in captivity, specifically Tilikum; a wild orca who was caught and exposed to captivity and its environment which eventually lead him to violently turn on his trainers at SeaWorld and even took some of their lives. This documentary examines how the difference from living in sea life to captivity can cause these whales and orcas to live up to their names. Blackfish discusses and argues how life in captivity for these whales is cruel and dangerous, not only for the whales but for their trainers as well. The information throughout this documentary was all painful to watch in my view, but it also had a positive approach.
Since these marine mammal trainers are expected to train the killer whales in the water it can be very dangerous. From the film, “We don’t speak whale. We don’t speak tiger. We don’t speak monkey.” This informs the audience that wild animals such as these whales are unpredictable.
Killer whales were initially captured in the 1960s, when a female orca was captured and put into a tank. Two days into the female orca's stay she repeatedly bashed her head against her tank wall and perished the following day. Unfortunately, people did not heed or take any precautions from this traumatic incident and since then killer whales all over the world have been captured for entertainment purposes and have been stored in facilities such as SeaWorld. From these types of facilities incidents continue to happen such as killer whales killing their trainers, killing themselves, dying due to medical conditions, and more. Continuous accidents such as these have caused suspicion among the public of whether killer whales live healthy and prosperous lives in captivity and brings up the concern of ethicality.
The Norwegian and Japanese positions and arguments to be permitted with the hunting of non-endangered species of whales as a cultural exemption should not be considered. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, “the whaling industry is in decline and the demand for meat is falling” (WDC, n.d.). Given this statement, I would support the ban of whaling worldwide. In addition, it would be difficult and costly to monitor the whaling activity that is taking place in waters where whales frequent.
Indians hunted the whales by surrounding them with boats, harpooning the whale, and then patiently waiting for the whale to die from blood loss. After the whale died, they would cut the whale into pieces and distribute it among their community. Colonists said that killing
It is a common misconception of natural instinct and imaginative onlookers; these whales are not people they are wild marine life. It is no secret that killer whales have a bad reputation, however what earned the reputation was sheer unintentional killings. Orinus Orcas are wild marine life that should not be prosecuted like human beings, and the name “Killer Whales” is the result of false
Even if it only effects the livelihoods of a few, these people and their culture are important and under these circumstances these communities should be allowed to continue whaling. 6. As cited by Chandler's article, the IWC was started with the the international consensus that all whales are endangered, which is false. While certainly endangered species need to be protected, along with other environmental concerns considered, the facts need to be examined before a decision is made. International organizations should consider the impact of culture, economics, and national sovereignty before issuing something such a ban on whaling.
In conclusion Blackfish is gives audiences a shocking, aggressive and deeply compelling look into cruel practices of marine parks for decades that will change the way you look at captive/trained killer whales and other animals. In watching this documentary has significantly opened my eyes regarding the brutal treatment and methods of capturing wild animals giving me a greater sympathy for orcas in parks such as SeaWorld. This startling documentary will surprise audiences as Cowperthwaite is unrelenting in showing the fatal consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity while also critiquing of the cruel and immoral practises of
The Killer Whales should be in small tanks, if an animal in captivity then is should have space to roam around and run. Parents should be able to take their kids to zoos and see healthy animals behaving
Director, writer, and producer, Gabriella Cowperthwaite, in her documentary, Blackfish, describes the shameless hunting and treatment of killer whales. Cowperthwaite’s purpose is to persuade us into opening our eyes to the reality of what we are doing to killer whales by confining them in captivity. She invents an emotionally wrenching tone in order to transmit to the adult viewers that living in captivity may not be acceptable life for the whales. The film effectively showed that the whales should not be kept in captivity by giving the audience examples of their signs of aggression and displays of emotion. Cowperthwaite begins her documentary by showing how killer whales can become barbaric when held captive.
Furthermore, this can be the cause of all the incidence including to what happened to Dawn Brancheau who was completely mutilated by a whale. Despite the interview with a former trainer, from a document which was published after the release of Blackfish by SeaWorld to object
This film about these extremely diverse mammals shows true footage of the whales and what they are capable of in captivity. It also talks about a lot of wrongs that are done to the whales in captivity by people who were there and done it or witnessed it themselves. The film gives out a lot of good information and statistics that have been proven by others as well. Because this source focuses on captivity and the poor treatment of whales, as will my paper, It will come to great use when the time comes to use
(Blackfish). Killer whales in the wild are aggressive towards each other just as they are to humans, in 1989 an accident involving two whales: Kandu and Corky resulted in Kandu bleeding to death. (Kirby 2) this would have never happened if the whales had the enough space they needed to separate from each other. Contrastingly, killer whales in the wild are more peaceful toward each other and humans. There is only one accident of an orca biting someone in the wild.
The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is one of the largest of the Cetaceans. They are fairly well known, even outside of the scientific community. They are identifiable by their dark grey dorsal color, white underbellies, very long pectoral flippers and by their habits of breaching and raising their tales above the water before diving. Their range expands tropical, temperate, and sub polar waters all around the world. They migrate in search of breading grounds and feeding grounds.
There are many whales in the sea, but this particular whale called Moby Dick is the desirable catch for the whalers and captain due to its legendary proportions. In the novel, Moby Dick, it offers an allegorical story of humanity’s dangerous search for meaning. The monstrous, white whale represents that “meaning” humans have been hunting for their entire lives, but at the end one will discover that one can do so much but still end up not finding their answer. The entire plot to Moby Dick is directed towards the final confrontation between Ahab, his crewman and the White whale. At the end, the whale wins the fight and the rest of the crew on ship all die, demonstrating the fact that the whale cannot be defeated, hence signaling how the laws