The Inhumanity of the Hunt - Assignment Example

Mr. Herman Ahab Captain 18 Downing Street Bournemouth HB3 4LN 13th March Dear Captain Ahab: I would like to take this opportunity to address an issue of great concern to myself and many other like-minded people. I write to implore you to speak and act against the abhorrent practice of whaling and, most importantly, to support the renewal of the ban on whale hunting at the upcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission. We sadly live in a day and age where men, drunk on their own pride and egoism, believe that they hold a place above the most magnificent and awesome of all extant creatures on earth: the whales. This is not only a question of the inhumanity of the hunt, though it is that too. Study after study has demonstrated that the harpoons used to kill whales do not result in a ‘quick’ kill by any means. The animal can suffer a gruelling and slow death for as long as thirty minutes. Furthermore, some scientists, in conducting general studies of whale intelligence, have learned that fellow whales, whilst witnessing the death of one of their members, endure suffering and emotional scarring. They feel the dying whale’s pain. For that is a point which necessarily must be made with respect to whales and whaling: whales are an extremely intelligent species. Though there is still some debate how advanced cetacean intelligence is, there is little question that whales stand in the upper echelons of mammalian intelligence. They have the largest brains of any living organism. As humans we are obliged to respect and hold in reverence those creatures that are most similar to ourselves. The doctrine of animal rights stems from the doctrine of human rights. If humans have innate rights to dignity, then so should those animals whose grandeur and serenity speak to the magnificence of life. By respecting whales, we respect ourselves. There are, as well, some practical arguments against whaling. Firstly, the consumption of whale meat by people has been shown to be detrimental to human health. As further testament to the disregard man has shown for the environment, whale meat, because it is the flesh of an animal that can live so long and grow to such a size, is full of many different toxins. These include PCB’s, pollutants, dioxins, and mercury. In toothed-whales, the toxin levels are even higher. It is for these reasons and more that I beseech you to support the renewal of the ban on whale hunting. We have a duty as much to these great creatures as we do to ourselves. Yours Truly, Mr. Moby Dick The Case Against Whaling At a time when mankind’s blatant disregard for the earth and the global eco-system appears to be at its zenith, it seems only fitting to address one of the more egregious examples of that general tendency: the practice of whaling. As stewards of the earth, humanity has a duty and obligation to preserve and protect all the animals now living. This is not a call for ending the consumption of meat. Yet when it comes to a species whose very existence has been shown to be under constant threat over the course of the last few centuries, we must act to protect that species. The practice of whaling must not be allowed. The general practice of hunting whales is unquestionably a most inhumane one. The fictitious romance of the nineteenth century whale hunt epitomized in novels like Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, is just that: fiction. In truth, whalers use an enormous harpoon gun that launches through the air, tearing its way into the whale’s flesh. The pain is great for the animal. Many studies aptly show that the whale can suffer for as long as thirty minutes as he/she slowly bleeds out. The image evoked has more in common with the blood-letting of the Spanish bullfight than it does with any simple and quick hunt for food. Even more heart-wrenching, scientists now have proof that whales that are witness to the killing of one of their own react in ways that clearly demonstrate an expression of sympathy and emotional trauma. They truly sense the agony of their dying comrade. This level of sensory perception and emotional awareness provides clear evidence that whales are highly intelligent creatures. Due to the difficulty associated with studying pelagic mammals, the precise level of cetacean intelligence has yet to be determined by the scientific community. Whales do, however, have the largest brains of any animals now in existence. As humans, we feel a natural compunction to respect those animals closest to us in physical and mental stamina. Since it is quite clear that we have no trouble surviving eating other animals, we cannot possible justify the hunting and consumption of whales. The concept of animal rights is derived from the concept of human rights. If humans have natural-born rights, then so should animals, most especially those whose size and greatness cannot denied. Furthermore, there are other reasons that we should not eat whales. Largely due to human-caused pollution and environmental degradation, the meat of many sea creatures is laden with toxins and pollutants. Whales, since they are so large and can live for so long, are host to a plethora of toxic substances. This includes, but is not limited to, PCB’s, general pollutants, dioxins, mercury, and other unhealthy compounds. By eating whale meat, humans are exposed to all these toxins. In some ways we almost deserve to eat this sullied meat because, in many cases, we are the ones who released the pollutants in the first place. There is also an economic argument against the practice of whale hunting. In these tough economic times when every job counts, the growth of whale tourism has been a source of many new jobs. In countries whose shores are near whale breeding and feeding areas, tourists come in droves to see these enormous and magnificent creatures. Any supposed gains in jobs to whalers are dwarfed by the tens of millions of pounds in tourism money available today from the whale tourism industry. ‘Whale watching’ is fast becoming a favourite activity of many people. Killing whales will hurt that industry. For these reasons and many others, the practice of whaling should not be allowed. We must protect these magnificent animals, lest they disappear from the earth. Thus far humanity has shown itself to be hopelessly wanting in its stewardship of the planet. The fact that, despite the many other egregious cases of environmental destruction committed over the course of the last century or two, humans persist in hunting and killing whales is an affront to the very life-cycle itself. Let us make a stand for Mother Earth. Read More