India Declares Dolphins to be Non-Human Persons

How cool is this?! Dolphins are now considered to be persons in India, with human rights, and everything!

I say most of them are smarter than some humans... just my opinion.

I've always loved dolphins. I used to collect them, but then I switched to unicorns.

After weeks of protest against a dolphin park in the state of Kerala and several other marine mammal entertainment facilities which were to be built this year, India has officially recognized dolphins as non-human persons, whose rights to life and liberty must be respected. Dolphin parks that were being built across the country will instead be shut down.

India's Ministry of Environment and Forests has informed state governments to ban dolphinariums and other commercial entertainment that involves the capture and confinement of cetacean species such as orcas and bottlenose dolphins. They issued a statement that said, "research had clearly established cetaceans are highly intelligent and sensitive, and that dolphins "should be seen as 'non-human persons' and as such should have their own specific rights."

India becomes the fourth country in the world to ban the capture and import of cetaceans for the purpose of commercial entertainment - along with Costa Rica, Hungary, and Chile. Three years ago, the movement began to recognize whale and dolphins as individuals with self-awareness and a set of rights. The movement gained momentum in Helsinki, Finland when scientists and ethicists drafted a Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans. "We affirm that all cetaceans as persons have the right to life, liberty and well-being," they wrote.

It has been shown that dolphins can recognize their own reflection, use tools and understand abstract concepts. They develop unique signature whistles allowing friends and family members to recognize them, similar to the way human beings use names. "They share intimate, close bonds with their family groups. They have their own culture, their own hunting practices - even variations in the way they communicate," said FIAPO's (Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations) Puja Mitra.

Read more here: www.whitewolfpack.com...

reply to post by sled735


Meanwhile in Japan...

reply to post by sled735


Meanwhile in Peru...



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reply to post by sled735


Sorry to spam your thread. I think this is great news that India has made this decision and thank you for posting. These beautiful sea mammals trust us and we have people harpooning them and beating them to death with clubs. It's disgusting what some Human Beings are capable of. Puke...

As cool as this is, I actually find it interesting they're giving an elevated status to dolphins only now.

Cows and many other animals are sacred and untouchable, to a point.

I'm wondering now if this status change in Indian culture is an elevation, or demotion.
Will this mean the dolphin is subject to the caste system now?

Hmmm.

Urgh.... Why are people not seeing the issues here????

I agree that Dolphins should be protected, however declaring them Non-Human persons with human rights is the stupidest thing i have heard in a while.

May I remind the members of ATS that laws and rights are social contracts,
Have these dolphins agreed to such a thing?
What happens when a dolphin rapes a woman/man, will the dolphin be called to court ?

The only outcome I can see coming from this is, institutionalised executions of dolphins .


Laws and rights are a Human invention which requires both parties to agree, the Dolphin cannot.

Just my 2 cents

Namaste.

No matter the legalese points, it resulted in the shutting down of two parks that would use them for entertainment and keep them in captivity, so I applaud that.

What I fail to understand though that this sensitivity and caring for animals sits in sharp contrast to the way they treat and regard the female gender of the human species. It really really baffles me.

reply to post by sled735


given india`s "traditions " this is the top of a slippery slope that could see a dolphin with more rights and better legal protection than some humans

reply to post by sled735


Lucky them. I wanna be a non human person.

So when is the USA going to declare war on them and kill them all?

reply to post by WiseThinker

What happens when a dolphin rapes a woman/man, will the dolphin be called to court ?

Come on man, those incidents are so few and far between, it's hardly a likely scenario...

They are much smarter than we give them credit. One of the few animals that have that "look" in there eyes. It's gaze of high intelligence. One of self recognition.

I dont think all dolphinariums are cruel.

I whent to one in the carribean. There were let out into the ocean once a week. They all came back and on the rare occasion one was let out for the first time and run it would be back within a week. They seem to know they are onto a good thing, free food, safe shelter and all they have to do is do a few tricks for those stupid humans

reply to post by aboutface


Hindi women are treated like cattle? Is that what you're implying? Please state sources.

reply to post by WiseThinker

May I remind the members of ATS that laws and rights are social contracts, Have these dolphins agreed to such a thing? What happens when a dolphin rapes a woman/man, will the dolphin be called to court ?

Dolphins raping?...........With a name like Wise Thinker im surprised!

reply to post by TheDoctor46


The point is not the raping, this is just because I know Dolphins are extremely sexually aggressive and this behavior has been shown on multiple occasions towards humans.

I could just as easily have had an example of an Orca killing a man/woman.

Point being, Laws and Rights are social contracts, cetaceans CANNOT agree to them, thus its silly and pointless.
A cetaceans cannot uphold its end of the contract, nor can it be taken to court to solve any disputes.

Now im all for protecting cetaceans, and im extremely against cetacean shows and cetaceans being kept in captivity, However this does not solve the problem.


We need HUMAN laws preventing HUMANS from killing or capturing cetaceans, Now this is not xenophobia, just common sense, as again the cetaceans CANNOT agree to the social contract.

Namaste

WiseThinker
Urgh.... Why are people not seeing the issues here????

I agree that Dolphins should be protected, however declaring them Non-Human persons with human rights is the stupidest thing i have heard in a while.

May I remind the members of ATS that laws and rights are social contracts,
Have these dolphins agreed to such a thing?
What happens when a dolphin rapes a woman/man, will the dolphin be called to court ?

The only outcome I can see coming from this is, institutionalised executions of dolphins

.


Laws and rights are a Human invention which requires both parties to agree, the Dolphin cannot.

Just my 2 cents

Namaste.

My mistake for wording that incorrectly. It states:

dolphins "should be seen as 'non-human persons' and as such should have their own specific rights."

So, they have SPECIFIC rights, not human rights.

Dolphins are sentient, communicating, intelligent and emotional. That sounds like a good enough reason to recognize these rights to me. Hopefully more countries will join up on this.

In the US we have certain rights as well. These rights are not granted by government or social contract. They are self evident and inalienable. Same goes for the dolphins.

Go Flipper!

What about all the other creatures??
Dogs are just as intelligent as dolphins!
Go down to your local slaughter house and see the FEAR in the eyes of the creatures about to be killed, and then tell me they're not aware!

reply to post by VoidHawk


OMG! Don't I know it! I took my daughter to get a cat from the animal shelter a few years ago, and I left there in tears!

I'm such an animal lover, of all animals, it breaks my heart in two seeing them. You can see the sad expression on their face... hopelessness!

If I lived in the country, and could afford to feed them, I'd be that crazy old cat woman everyone talks about. Not only cats, but dogs, horses... you name it. They would have a home. But, alas, I don't live in the country, and I'm not rich.