9/27/2004: Beached pygmy whale calf

[garnet]

Originally Posted by Target

Will you argue that people are more intelligent than whales? People do stupid things that cause themselves harm. Is it not imaginable that a creature of less intelligence might do the same thing?

People are more intelligent in some ways than animals such as whales. No, a whale can't write a novel or program a computer, but there's a helluva lot of things animals can do that people can't. I'm still amazed at dogs and their sense of smell. It may not be that they are more intelligent than humans, but in that particular respect they are superior to us. I know almost zero about whales, but I'm guessing they're superior to humans in certain ways as well. To blame a whale beaching itself solely on the animal's "stupidity" is, in my opinion, unintelligent.

[Cyber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Target

Some animals that are considered to be highly intelligent kill their offspring. Is that a capability you have considered?

Intelligence has nothing to do with the ability, desire or perceived need to kill.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Target

God told me it's George Will.

Even George Wills has problems with some of what George Jr is doing to this country.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Target

Beachings or strandings as people in the industry call them have happened since before recorded time. There is no evidence it is more prevolent now than ever before and only heresay and questionable motives tie it to shipping.

It is true that certain frequency sonar does though and that frequency corresponds directly with the shockwaves created by an earthquake on the ocean floor though the range is miniscule in comparison.

Good reasoning until we apply numbers. Junk science reasoning hates numbers. Since an underwater earthquake of a few seconds every so many years creates noise, then new sonar continuously, so much closer to mammal as to have higher dB levels, and being used continuously instead does not do any animal damage. Sorry. Even the US Navy conceded rather quickly that some of the mass mammal stranding were probably a result of their new sonar. That the resulting brain damage to some mammal brains may have been a direct consequence of their new and more powerful sonar. Sorry I have to add some facts and numbers to your speculations.

The real quesiton is not whether noise is causing that problem. Only extremists without facts would deny that. The real question is how much worse will it get, what will be the ultimate consequence if we don't deal with it, and how easily can the problem be solved. After all, more efficient ships should also make less ocean noise. Notice the difference. Asking questions based upon science verses speculation based upon political agenda and junk science reasoning.

The question really has become one of - is this the canary in a coal mine? These same people who would deny a potential ocean noise problem also deny that six of the seven major world fisheries are in serious danger of collapsing or have already failed. It helps to first learn facts before listening to Rush Limbaugh and personal biases.

[Trilby]

You know what? It's still really sad. Death is a natural, beautiful part of life, but I hate to see a baby anything die.

[Leah]

I'm with you there Brianna, I hate seeing any baby animal suffer so much. I love watching animal documentaries (always watching Animal Planet on Foxtel), but I still cringe when I see any baby animal being killed or dying, be it natural or caused my us horrible humans. Especially hate seeing baby elephants being killed or dying.
Poor little whale.

[chrisinhouston]

Can't that lady push the whale out in the surf and then climb on her. I saw that Whale Rider movie and it really worked!

[Bullitt]

Except in Whale rider, the person wasn't the whale sized being of the two...

[jaclyn8700]

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

Looks like 2 beached whales in that photo.

that's cold.

but true..