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Researchers gathered in Vancouver for the American Association for the Advancement of Science are looking to bump dolphins up an evolutionary notch: They're advocating a "Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans" that would protect them from hunting, captivity and dolphin-brain-numbing sea-park tricks.
The BBC reports that experts like Dr. Lori Marino of Emory University are pushing for the recognition of dolphins as "'people' in the philosophical sense": "We went from seeing the dolphin/whale brain as being a giant blob ... to an enormous brain with an enormous amount of complexity, and a complexity that rivals our own."
Do dolphins deserve a bill of rights?
123Comments
Feb 26, 2012 4:30PM
Feb 26, 2012 10:46AM
Feb 26, 2012 10:31AM
Feb 26, 2012 3:42AM
Are we in this world all nuts - comments on this board kind of speak to that. Get a life people and respect all of God's creatures - why a bill of rights - all animals should have them because we, who are supposedly human, continue to abuse and kill animals including pets in our own homes.
Feb 26, 2012 1:36AM
Love it! Dolphins have demonstrated to pass the mirror test; display complex emotional states to other dolphins and non-dolphins (see dolphin playing with whale video, working with human fisherman to catch fish in Brazil, ); dolphins in prison... erm, "captivity", have demonstrated ability to creative make impromptu showcase displays without prior prompting from their wardens, I mean "trainers"; free dolphins are known to make up for their lack dexterous hands by using there mouths to utilize tolls; and, most interesting, dolphins are now only two known species to develop their own indigenous language, humans being the other species. "Personhood" implies the complex cognitive abilities of an individual so for that case dolphins are most likely the only other group on Earth that meet that the "personhood" status.
Feb 26, 2012 12:16AM
Ej7750
we are animals too at the beginning of the day and the end of the day. like land dwelling idiots. ALL animals deserve rights and should be treated with care. Of course though there are people out there who are unfortunately greedy and must use wrongness to make a way of life with these and all animals. Every living being with cells should have respect
Feb 25, 2012 11:57PM
Feb 25, 2012 8:37PM
YES ,YES ,YES it is about time they deserve it. we humans have been far to greedy with this my species is on the top B.S. yea may be we got the thumbs to build and destroy more then any other animal but the dolphin has us beet in a more balance in the true meaning of civilized coexisting for over 2 00.000 years .so yes give them that right free them and let them live there lives free and in happiness.
Feb 25, 2012 2:01PM
If they're so smart, why haven't they written a bill of rights for themselves?
This is like someone saying "my cat plays games with me and likes to purr on my lap, so it's clearly a sentient creature." It's complete absurdity.
Dolphins are animals, people. Yes, they're "majestic" and it's nice to see them playing alongside your sailboat when you're out on the ocean, but that doesn't change the fact that they are, still, animals at the end of the day. Like water-dwelling border collies.
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