Homeless in Vancouver: Van Aqua whales gone wild! (we wish)

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      The woman holding her own with the whales is Sarah, a member of the Vancouver Animal Defense League. I photographed her last night on West Broadway Avenue at Granville Street.

      She was one of the protesters who crashed the Vancouver Aquarium’s exclusive grand opening bash a few hours earlier.

      According to a posting on the ADL Facebook page, 150 protesters had a whale of a time telling the Aquarium “Thanks but no tanks”.

      The guest list of the Aquarium’s invitation-only gala opening was expected to include local luminaries like politicians, media personalities, aquarium board members, donors, and supporters.

      Sarah and other protesters were there to speak up on behalf of the Aquarium’s other, unwilling guests, particularly the whales and dolphins.

      In case you are wondering, I do not think whales and dolphins should be held in captivity. I personally feel that all zoos and aquariums should be abolished.

      If we want to see wild animals, we should go visit them in their habitat—meaning we have to learn to share the planet with them—and when we go visiting we have to remember to act like the guests that we are.

      The case for marine mammals and against inhumanity

      [science-monkey mode ON]

      With whales and dolphins, there is a strong case to be made that it is simply inhuman to hold such highly intelligent marine mammals in captivity. To do it for amusement and profit seems that much more odious to some of us.

      But the general argument against holding animals in captivity sounds like crazy talk to a lot of people because it’s really saying that animals—some animals, at least—should be treated like people.

      And, well, that’s nuts right? Only people should be treated like people.

      Which itself is easier said than done.

      Drawing the line on empathy

      Within the human family, the inability to have empathy for other people is seen as a mental illness called psychopathy.

      Psychopaths are unable to empathize. They see all other people as less than themselves—as animals. To be a psychopath is to behave in a way that is utterly inhuman.

      Which is the same as saying that the human species behaves psychopathically (without empathy, remorse, or inhibition) towards all other species on Earth. Why? Apparently characters out of ancient mythology told us once a long time ago we had the right to behave inhumanly towards anything that isn’t human.

      Sadly, these characters left no forwarding address where we can reach them for clarifications beyond two vague conflicting directions of “up there” and “down below”.

      That hasn’t stopped up from taking this permission and running wild with it. Being able to treat anything that isn’t human as a resource to be used, abused, or exploited in any way we see fit is just so liberating.

      Occasionally there are problems. Some humans try to reclassify other humans as animals so they can enslave or exterminate them. But so far it’s been nothing a little war couldn’t fix.

      When you assume…you make an…

      Human superiority has never been based on facts, just assumptions. In my lifetime, science has been making an ass of those assumptions. Bit by bit, the stereotype of the “dumb” animal has been crumbling in the face of evidence to the contrary.

      There is nearly 40 years of research suggesting that great apes, like chimpanzees and gorillas, can learn language and communicate with people.

      I consider Koko to be a famous public figure, someone I followed in the media as I grew up. She’s the female gorilla born in 1971 who is thought to understand spoken English and be able to communicate using sign language.

      And no one anymore questions that marine mammals are intelligent. The evidence is too overwhelming. The question is how intelligent.

      We wouldn’t know real intelligence if it hit us on the head

      Both whales and dolphins clearly communicate within their species. It’s not their fault that we’re not intelligent enough to figure out if they have “true” language or not.

      Research into non-human intelligence has actually had the unintended consequence of showing up our poor understanding of intelligence in general, based as it is on our unquestioned intellectual superiority.

      For instance we no longer point to brain size as an absolute measure of our higher intelligence, because whales, elephants and bottlenose dolphins (not to mention the extinct human species Neanderthals) all enjoy larger brains than human beings.

      Same goes for surface convolutions of the brain, general brain complexity, brain-to-body size ration, and spindle cells; cetaceans and elephants are our intellectual equals according to these measures.

      Fortunately we still lead in warfare and network television programming.

      Now for something completely different

      Several very tasty cephalopod species, including, octopi, squid, and cuttlefish, appear disturbingly intelligent; disturbing because they’re so obviously intelligent and so alien.

      If we can’t and won’t acknowledge the higher intelligence and rights of other species on our own planet, what does that say about our capacity to identify or ever coexist with an intelligent extraterrestrial species?

      And meanwhile, wouldn’t you know it, out in the wide, wild, world somewhere, dolphins and whales are arguing whether human beings are truly intelligent or just faking it.

      Stanley Q. Woodvine is a homeless resident of Vancouver who has worked in the past as an illustrator, graphic designer, and writer. 

      Comments

      4 Comments

      John Q. Publik

      Jun 11, 2014 at 3:33pm

      And this folks is why this movement is and will always be in the minority. Thanks to nutters like these and other so called protesters.

      Anita Lautsch

      Jun 11, 2014 at 6:36pm

      This is a great article.

      Pamela D.

      Jun 11, 2014 at 6:50pm

      In this city, the minority consists of those who wish to keep cetaceans locked away in tiny, cramped tanks. There are so many people on board with this issue. It is an industry that I am sure will be phased out eventually. The citizens of Vancouver voted to close the zoo....what's to say they wouldn't vote out cetacean/whale shows and captivity too? I fully support the protestors and advocates standing up to fight for those dolphins and belugas who do not get a chance to have their voices heard. John, maybe we should put you in solitary confinement for a while, have you put on a few shows for entertainment and see if you change your tune?

      Michael S.

      Jun 12, 2014 at 7:44am

      What a load of rubbish. This group is nothing but a common bunch of militant bullys. The protest you mention involved a mob who very clearly stepped over the line of lawful behaviour and used disgusting tactics of intimidation and threats. Several people I saw there had to be escorted to their cars in Stanley Park because they were afraid of the aggressive profanity hurling animals connected to this movement. Jumping on cars, kicking and keying vehicles and screaming at seniors. Not to mention that most of them seemed unable to string a coherent thought together. For all the waving signs of killer whales and spouting false accusations about the aquarium's practices this VADL group has a long history of spinning lies and appealing to the lowest common denominator. Professional rabble rousers more interested in screaming abuse than in checking their facts, the politicians and parks board commissioners have a lot to answer for in allowing their election campaigns to give credence to this sort of behaviour.