Dolphins found dead on Texas beaches

Just noticed this this morning.

www.sfgate.com.../c/a/2007/03/19/MNGPNONL901.DTL

The 47 bodies found recently included many newborns with umbilical cords still attached. The figure represents three times the number found during the same period last year.

"Right now we don't know what's going on, but it is definitely significant," said Daniel Cowan, a pathologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. "Nowhere else in Texas is having this kind of problem. They're coming in in multiples."

Investigators theorize that toxins seeping into the water off the Louisiana coast might have killed the dolphins, which were then carried by currents to the Texas shore.
source

Terrible! That's a lot of dolphins, I expected maybe 4 or 5, a nominal number at least, but to see 47 is heart wrenching.

I can't explain intellectually how I am feeling, its just too upsetting!

Reminds me of all the bees dying/disappearing. There have always been animals beaching themselves to end their lives. But the increasing frequency coupled with the amount of animals doing it in groups; it's disturbing and seems to point to a catastrophe in the near future..

Originally posted by bluesquareapple
But the increasing frequency coupled with the amount of animals doing it in groups; it's disturbing and seems to point to a catastrophe in the near future..

I send a lot, well no, actually I regularly spam the Japanese Govt over their slaughtering of dolphins (3000 per session).

Perhaps the dolphins committed suicide rather than end up being slaughtered??

Dolphins, Whales and Human Beings Imperiled by Ocean Contaminants
Dolphins with sky high levels of mercury, Killer Whales so contaminated with PCBs they could be classified as toxic waste, human beings advised to hold the tuna (and swordfish and tile fish and . . .) source

Unfortunately, it is more toxic carnage!!


[edit on 21-3-2007 by NJE777]

Even though they are mammels, maybe we should add this to the dead fish category.

The animals deaths are all getting explained away one by one. Even though they are happening now in more rapid succession. I guess we just have to wait and see.

The inhabitants of the earth waited to see what would come next. A bit too early for that, but give it time.

Sigh.... I really hate seeing stuff like this when its clear we are the monsters, we are the lesser beings..

It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English -- up to fifty words used in correct context -- no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.

We are the monsters? You make it sound like people are going out there and harpooning them or something.

If dolphins are so smart why didn't they know any better than to wash up on a beach?

Originally posted by Classified Info

If dolphins are so smart why didn't they know any better than to wash up on a beach?

Dolphins are very intellegent, they do know better than to wash up on a beach.

Obviously there is another reason besides personal choice at work here.

Why be so mean??? Dolphins are awesome, they make sick kids well again.

I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I like dolphins too. But you are assuming that there was external forces at work that caused them to wash up on the beach. This could of been a group of stupid dolphins. There are different intelligence levels among human beings so maybe the same thing holds true for dolphins as well.

But when I hear people make statements like this:---"Sigh.... I really hate seeing stuff like this when its clear we are the monsters, we are the lesser beings.. "---it makes me want to scream.

It's especially strange when newborn dolphins with umbilical cords attached are involved in the deaths.

I would expect the maternal instinct to preserve life would be at it's highest for the mother dolphin to protect herself and her infant.

Originally posted by Classified Info
I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I like dolphins too. But you are assuming that there was external forces at work that caused them to wash up on the beach. This could of been a group of stupid dolphins. There are different intelligence levels among human beings so maybe the same thing holds true for dolphins as well.

But when I hear people make statements like this:---"Sigh.... I really hate seeing stuff like this when its clear we are the monsters, we are the lesser beings.. "---it makes me want to scream.

Makes you want to scream? Why becasue you say that a group of dumb Dolphins beach themselfs.. Wow your a credit to my post, and why you are such a monster.. No offence really, but you need to pick up a text book somtime and learn about the nature of these animals.. Please for the sake of mankind you cant be that dull?

We shouldn't naively think that this is not worth pursuing.

If in fact something happened to cause the death of these amazing animals then it should be looked into very intensely.

You don't just blow off this kind of thing. 'Generally when a species exhibits behavior or dies mysteriously it can be tracked back to some kind of human behavior that causes the unnatural occurance.

Not always, but usually. If not man then what?

Originally posted by Classified Info
We are the monsters? You make it sound like people are going out there and harpooning them or something.

If dolphins are so smart why didn't they know any better than to wash up on a beach?

NO we only do worse to them.. And Im not saying 100% that the reason they wash up is becasue of what man has done.. Prehaps its a warning to man.. Such as an earthquake is comming, or something worse.. These animals I belive are smarter than humans in some context. While they cant build bombs, and destory their world? What makes us so mighty, and so much better than a being that lives within a world is only slightly known by sceintist?
You seem to take a person stance to attack me when all I have is pain for the tons and tons of waste we put into their homes. The tests we do in their homes! The food we take from their homes! You know there are still poachers out there, sertinly not as many but they are still out there!
You sir, dont seem to have much of a heart for your fellow beings on this planet. Its okay I dont expect much out of people really, You go on, and do your thing, Your a monster, as am I when its in the eyes of those we hurt.. Its all about point of perspective, take it for what it is.. It serves no good to agure with eachother, when you clearly are not a scholar on the subject, and offer no real objective information other than, stupid dolphins! I say its either our doing from our waste, and wars on this planet. Or an earthquake, or some massive event with the earths plates shifting or other change.. These animals are not dumb in the sense of man.

Here are some links to provide some outside sourcing of information other than the writtings of my own personal thoughts.
news.nationalgeographic.com...
news.nationalgeographic.com...
animals.about.com...

I hope some of this information can lead to a healthy discussion about this event

[edit on 28-3-2007 by zysin5]

Since they operate within the sonar spectrum, I would lean toward a sonic boom of some kind that killed em dead.

Like those illegal devices fisherman use to knock fish out and net them in.

Maybe submarine activity or testing, or methane bursts in the water????

edited double post

[edit on 29-3-2007 by interestedalways]

If there's sub bases in the area, that's who the mainstream environmentalists look to first. Fishing sonar is chump change compared to what's on subs.

Originally posted by interestedalways
Since they operate within the sonar spectrum, I would lean toward a sonic boom of some kind that killed em dead.

Like those illegal devices fisherman use to knock fish out and net them in.

Maybe submarine activity or testing, or methane bursts in the water????

Beached Dolphins May Be Related to Sonar Use!
www.npr.org...

Yes I could agree here, there are so many factors to consider..
presay my own personal feelings on this subject becasue they tend to be strong on this issue.. so lets deal with the facts instead of our own emotional pulls here...

The Sad Truth Behind SWTD: Swim-with-the-dolphin (SWTD) programs allow visitors to pet captive dolphins in shallow pools or interact with them in deeper water by swimming beside them or being towed around by holding onto the dolphin's dorsal fin. Currently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not regulate SWTD programs, and as a result, record keeping concerning human injuries and dolphin deaths are often not complete, with countless dolphin deaths going unreported.

Dolphins have been on the earth for thousands of years. They are perfectly evolved to live and flourish in their wild ocean home, not within the confines of a human-made concrete tank or artificial lagoon. Statistics of dolphin deaths during capture and confinement prove that dolphins do not belong in captivity. Consider the fact that Sea World, one of the most recognized captive dolphin facilities in the U.S., reported 93 dolphin deaths between 1971 and 2002. That's an average of 3 dolphins per year, assuming that all dolphin deaths were accounted for. If these numbers were extrapolated to include the total number of captive dolphin facilities around the world, the number of dolphin deaths as a result of captivity in the last 30 years would be astronomical!

source info
www.wspa-usa.org...

news.scotsman.com...

And another side of the dolphin mentality/compassion comes from the ones swimming in the wild who have rescued humans lost in the waters.

Originally posted by zysin5

Makes you want to scream? Why becasue you say that a group of dumb Dolphins beach themselfs.. Wow your a credit to my post, and why you are such a monster.. No offence really, but you need to pick up a text book somtime and learn about the nature of these animals.. Please for the sake of mankind you cant be that dull?

It was this comment by you that made me want to scream---Sigh.... I really hate seeing stuff like this when its clear we are the monsters, we are the lesser beings..---no we are not the lessor beings.

I'm a monster, why would you say such a thing? I will stand by what I said, if these dolphins are so smart then they wouldn't have ended up on a sandy beach. When is the last time that you heard of a human being accidentally walking out into the ocean and drowning?

Hey, I wish that the dolphins were still alive but they are dead and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Maybe after the problem of world hunger is solved (are dolphins good eating?) )I will start to worry about the plight of the dolphins.







[edit on 3/29/2007 by Classified Info]

Originally posted by zysin5

What makes us so mighty, and so much better than a being that lives within a world is only slightly known by sceintist?

Culture, music, and art are the first things that come to mind.

You seem to take a person stance to attack me when all I have is pain for the tons and tons of waste we put into their homes. The food we take from their homes!
You sir, dont seem to have much of a heart for your fellow beings on this planet.

[edit on 28-3-2007 by zysin5]

Whoa, whoa, whoa now, back up a little bit. I did not personally attack you in any such way (unless you are a dolphin).

Your being way to sensitive.

On the contrary, you attacked me when you called me dull, and a monster (more than once).

I do have a heart for my fellow beings, human beings, and like I said before until problems like children dying of starvation is solved I aint going to waste my time worrying about some dolphinds that don't know any better than to wash up on a sandy beach. And yes, until that problem is solved I am all for taking food from their homes even if it includes eating the dolphins themselves.