Morgan: No Damsel In Distress

Anyone who begins an article, which compares the slave trade to animals in zoological collections, could be said to be allegedly as morally bankrupt as the suggestion itself: also invoking Godwin's law with comments on Auschwitz are equally repugnant but sadly a disappointing reflection on the calibre of the below cited article. 

Nonetheless, slavery is exactly what Matthew Spiegl suggests at the beginning of his recent article in The Huffington Post regarding the care of killer whales at the US Sea World marine parks. 

See HERE

Of course, this is not the first time that human slavery and zoo animal care has been put forward. In October 2011, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA) brought a case against the Sea World theme parks citing slavery and involuntary servitude under the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States for five killer whales displayed at the parks.  The lawsuit failed and was dismissed.   Thus PeTA again exposed itself to ridicule from most right-minded people and the probable anger of many African Caribbean's who families were real slaves.

 

Spiegl's article was triggered by the news that the Sea World parks are to be floated on the US stock market and to promote yet another propaganda exercise by the animal-rights movement in the form of the film "Blackfish".

The article continues along a predictable course of an animal-rights advocate.  Sea World are portrayed as scheming villains with no good intent with his colleagues in the animal-rights industry portrayed as gallant knights, out to slay the ruthless dragon of commercial greed and free the damsel in distress. 

One particular damsel in this case is a young female killer whale that stranded on the Dutch coast starving and near death in June 2010.  The animal was rescued by the group SOS Delfijn and employees from Dolfinarium Harderwijk, which provided care for the animal at their facility in the Netherlands.  Due to the hard work and dedication of the parks staff Morgan (as she became known)  was rehabilitated but deemed unfit for release and moved  to live with a group of captive bred killer whales at Loro Park Tenerife, Spain in November 2011.

Details of Mogan's rescue and recovery can be found HERE.

Spiegl's argues for the release of Morgan but provides very little in the way of compelling or new evidence that would be appropriate to overturn original conclusion not to return her to the wild.

He comments that because Sea World were involved in giving advice in Morgan's rehabilitation this is something sinister but fails to understand that they would be asked as they are the leading specialists in the care and breeding of killer whales in zoological parks.

Moreover, his further citing of the movement of whales and dolphins between marine parks decades ago also has no contemporary relevance.  Neither is linking current animal acquisitions to Japanese and other drive fisheries, as Sea World displays no animals acquired in this way.  In fact, most animals displayed in the US and mainland Europe are from captive breeding.

Drive Fisheries and aquaria information HERE

More damning, Spiegl carefully leaves out the most recent evidence specifically regarding Morgan's health as specialist examination shows she is hearing impaired or deaf.  The reality of this finding is that she can never be released, as deaf cetaceans cannot survive in the wild environment.

Details HERE

Whilst Spiegl calls for a debate on these animals in captive care, his polemic is no more than special pleading for the position of his fellow animal-rights travellers and is not a debate at all as no alternative position is given.

Unfortunately, these discussions of animals as quasi-humans say little about the animals themselves - as they are not and never will be humans-  but say much about those promoting this position.  As always, these dialogues are about the human condition and the stark difference between the ideology of animal-rights and the promotion of animal-welfare.

As an "Ocean Advocate" Spiegl would be better placed to continue to promote such issues as plastics pollution of the ocean and sea environment that is a genuine danger to marine wildlife than the fate of a disabled whale living in a marine park.

The leatherback turtle

 

The Life of Animals | The leatherback turtle | Turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of a sea turtle with a large drop-shaped body. A nice pair of front flippers power the turtles in the water. Like other sea turtles, the leatherback turtle has crushed the front legs adapted for swimming in the open sea. The fins are the most important sounds in proportion to its body among sea turtles exist. Leatherback front flippers can grow up to 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) large sample size and large flippers (even in comparison to its body) of any sea turtle. Leatherback turtle covering her eggs, Turtle Beach, Tobago The leatherback has several characteristics that distinguish it from other sea turtles. Leatherbacks are unique among reptiles that fail in their scale β-keratinCounter-demonstration is the brightest in the turtle. Dermochelys coriacea adults average of 1 to 1.75 m (3.3 to 5.74 meters) carapace length, 1.83 to 2.2 m (6.0 to 7.2 feet) in length and weigh 250,700 kg (550-1500 lb). Surprisingly, the leatherback turtle is much larger than any other sea turtles hatch, since the transmission 61.3 mm (2.41 inches) carapace length and weighs about 46 g (1.6 oz) when newly hatched.

The first studies of leatherback metabolic rates found lute had predicted resting metabolic rate about three times higher than that of a reptile of their size. This creates constant heat swimming muscle derived. Adults were Lute with the body temperature of 18 ° C (32 ° F) floating above the water found in. Leatherback turtles are one of the creatures of the deep sea diving. The 1992 edition of the Guinness Book of Records presents the leatherback turtle moving 35.28 km / h (21.92 hours miles) in water. The leatherback turtle is a cosmopolitan species with a global reach. There are three genetically distinct populations in the Atlantic Ocean, the eastern Pacific and western Pacific Ocean. While nesting beaches have been identified in the region, leatherback populations in the Indian Ocean are generally not assessed and weighted. The leatherback turtle population in the Atlantic beaches of the region. Unlike other turtles, feeding areas for leatherback turtles are in colder waters, where there is plenty of jellyfish prey, which extends its range. However, few beaches on both sides of the Atlantic provide nesting sites. Overlooking the Atlantic coast of Canada, leatherback turtles feed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Quebec and as far north as Newfoundland and Labrador.

The beaches of the National Park Mayumba Mayumba, Gabon host the largest nesting population on the African continent and probably in the world, with about 30,000 turtles visit the beaches every year in April. Looking north-east coast of South America, varied selection of some of Guyana and Suriname are the most important sites for nesting of several species of sea turtles, the leatherback turtle, for the most part. A few hundred nest annually on the eastern coast of Florida. In Costa Rica, the beaches and nesting sites Parismina Gandoca. Pacific leatherbacks divide into two populations. Forage is the population of the South Pacific in the world, in the waters off the western coast of South America, nesting in Mexico, Panama, El Salvador and Costa Rica. The continental United States offers two major leatherback feeding areas. Further north on the Pacific coast of Canada, leatherbacks visit the beaches of British Columbia.

Rantau Abang beach Terengganu, Malaysia, once the largest breeding population of the world, home to 10,000 nests per year. Conservation efforts began in 1960 were ineffective because they are exposed to the excavation and incubation of eggs in artificial places accidentally eggs high temperatures. And 'well known that in 1980 that sea turtles are sex determination depends on the temperature, but it is suspected that the younger women incubated artificially In 2008, two turtles nest in Rantau Abang and, unfortunately, eggs were infertile.The leatherback turtle is found mainly in the open sea. The lute follow their jellyfish prey throughout the day, that the turtles "prefer" the deeper waters during the day, and the shallow waters at night (when the jellyfish in the water column), this strategy is often. Turtle hunting in very cold water An individual was actively hunting in waters whose temperature is 0.4 ° C (32.7 ° F).

Beaches favorite breeding places of the continent is facing deep water and they seem to avoid the sites protected by coral reefs D. Leatherback turtles adults feed almost exclusively on jellyfish. Due to the nature of the force-feeding, helps to control the populations of jellyfish leatherback turtles. Pacific leatherbacks migrate more than 6,000 miles (9,700 kilometers) across the Pacific from their nesting sites in Indonesia to eat California jellyfish. One of the reasons for their state of emergency in plastic bags floating in the sea of plastic bags by mistake lute Pacific jellyfish, took about a third of adult leatherbacks plastic. Plastics in the ocean off the west coast city where leatherback turtles, California, with power increase of 19 billion plastic bags per year. Several species of sea turtles ingest marine debris especially plastics, and even small amounts of debris can kill sea turtles by obstructing their digestive tracts. Dilution of nutrients, if the food move plastic intestine, according to the gain of nutrients and growth factors occurs so turtles. Like all sea turtles begin, the leatherback turtle, so that the miners of the sand of their nesting beaches. Leatherbacks are many predators and the first years of life. Once at sea, lute teenagers still eat cephalopods, requiem sharks and diversity of large fish. Nesting females were looted by jaguars in tropical America. Apparently, adult leatherbacks is aggressively defended by predators. Dermochelys young people spend more time in tropical waters than adults.

With offspring with special benefits While other species of sea turtles almost always return to their hatching beach, leatherbacks may choose another beach area. Nesting beaches and the angle of inclination of the deep sea is a vulnerability for the turtles because such beaches easily erode. The nest environment typically includes a dark wooded area near the beach. Females excavate a nest above the high tide line with their flippers. About nine days between nesting events. Clutch size averages about 110 eggs, of which 85% were viable. The eggs hatch after 60 to 70 days. Like other reptiles, the temperature of the nest determines the sex of the offspring. Dig evening, infants in area and walk towards the sea Leatherback nesting seasons vary by location, but occurs from February to July in Parismina, Costa Rica. Farther east in French Guiana, nesting from March to August The Atlantic leatherback nest from February to July in South Carolina in the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Suriname and Guyana. People around the world still gather sea turtle eggs. In Southeast Asia, egg collection resulted in countries like Thailand and Malaysia to a near-total collapse of local nesting. In Malaysia, where the turtle has practically disappeared, the eggs are considered a delicacy. In Birds, small mammals, and other opportunists dig up the nests of turtles and consume eggs. Shorebirds feed on crustaceans and sea battles in infants. Leatherbacks are a little 'less than other types of anthropogenic threats sea turtles. The nests are attacked by humans in places such as Southeast Asia. Many human activities, indirectly Dermochelys populations. As a pelagic species, D. coriacea is occasionally caught as by-catch. Since the larger devices EXCLUDER turtle sea turtles, life can be ineffective with mature adults. High levels of phthalate was measured in the egg yolk "

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Grasshopper

 

The Life of Animals | Grasshopper | No coherent distinction between taxonomic species of locusts and grasshoppers, the basis for the definition of a species swarm form under appropriate intervals. In English, the term "locust" is used for the grasshopper species which are morphologically and behavioral change the movement, the formation of clouds that grow immature stages called bands hopper. Charles Valentine Riley and Norman Criddle were also involved in the development of understanding and control locusts. Research at Oxford University has discovered a swarm behavior is a response to overcrowding. This causes the locust to change color, eat much more, and much easier to raise.

Locusts in the Bible and the Qur'an, one of the biblical plagues of Egypt, where locusts ate all the crops of Egypt. In an article published in the January 30, 2009 edition of the AAAS Science Journal, Anstey, Rogers, et al. demonstrated when locusts are, their nervous systems release serotonin so attracted to each other, a prerequisite for swarming. Swarms of locusts have short antennae or antennas and auditory organs in the abdomen (posterior segment of the body). From winged adults fly in swarms, locusts may be carried by the wind hundreds of miles from their spawning grounds, landing devour all vegetation. The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) from Europe to China, and even small swarms may cover several square miles, and weigh thousands of tons.

The largest known swarm covered 513,000 km ², comprising about 12.5 trillion insects and a weight of 27.5 million tonnes. A biological pesticide for the control of locusts in Africa has been tested by a multinational team in 1997. Dried fungal spores sprayed in breeding areas Metarhizium species pierce the locust exoskeleton on germination and penetration of the body cavity, causing death. The fungus is spread by insects and insect persists in the region, making repeated treatments unnecessary.

The extinction of the Rocky Mountain locust is a source of wonder. The international agenda is LUBILOSA promote non-chemical methods of control to find lobster. Different cultures around the world eat insects. Even Islamic law and Jewish food, eating other insects grasshoppers to eat after the ban, particularly as food for the hungry poor.

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