Is this really so? - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

04/12/2011 11:20:22 AM · #5

Originally posted by dmadden:

Do they really do this for the reasons stated? Manhood and all that. Or is it that they hunt them for food and the skin?

I've just been reading up on it. The animals are more commonly known as "Pilot Whales". They are very large members of the dolphin family. The Faroe Islanders have been herding and slaughtering them, for food, as a part of their subsistence economy, for generations and generations. The quotes saying that they are doing it "to prove their manhood" seem to be taken out of context.

The Islanders justify the slaughter by comparing the lives of the dolphins to those of factory-farmed animals. They say WE are being hypocrites. The images are obviously appalling, but (they say) if we took our cows to the sea and slaughtered them at the water's edge, it would look just as bad; but we hide our slaughter behind high walls.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen anywhere in what I've read any discussion of the fact that our cows are "dumb beasts" whilst the dolphins are intelligent, social animals. It does seem appalling to me that we continue to slaughter, for food, one of the very few species on the planet that seems to share something like our own level of intelligence...

R.

raish

Olympus C-2500L

04/12/2011 11:44:14 AM · #6

Has absolutely nothing to do with manhood.
'Faroe island in Denmark' is also a fair way wide of any mark.

The Faroe islands is an archipelago 'half way between Great Britain and Iceland'. They were once a Danish dependency and are now independent. Wind. Weather. Rocks. Sheep. Cold.

Pilot whales are not threatened with extinction.

It's pretty horrible to see the mess of their grindhvalfangst although for what it's worth it accounts for about 25% of the meat consumed on the islands, and the activity is documented and monitored by the sheriff.

It's also horrible to see sites like that and some of the reaction here that serves to remind us that the USA is the most powerful and pampered nation ever and you can tell when some of them are on the plane because the whining just goes on and on a long time after the engines have stopped.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

04/12/2011 12:28:41 PM · #7

Originally posted by raish:

... the whining just goes on and on a long time after the engines have stopped.

Ooh, burn!

David Ey

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

04/12/2011 01:09:13 PM · #8

Thanks for clearing that up. I retract my comment.

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

04/12/2011 04:58:31 PM · #9

Funny thing that... we get a similar reaction from people regarding the seal hunt in Canada. Ok for them to eat "PatÃ© de foie-gras", but it's not ok for an easterner to feed his family.

Ray

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

04/12/2011 05:15:14 PM · #10

Not in California. Foie gras is now illegal to raise in our fair state, as it is seen as being cruel to the poor geese to force feed them.
I know some folks in Sonoma who makes foie gras, and watching them feed the geese with a funnel is pretty weird, mostly because the geese are crowding around to get their turn. Darned geese are so stupid they don't even realize they are being abused. Another year and they are moving up to Oregon, and will be importing their stuff back into California where we can sleep with a clear conscience, since the horrors will be perpetuated in another state. Of course we can still eat it, we just can't make it here.

Message edited by author 2011-04-12 17:16:01.

tnun

Ricoh GR III

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

04/12/2011 05:15:52 PM · #11

Sometimes hard to draw the line between necessity and luxury? The east coast sealers are doing it for trade rather than the food itself.

Sometimes hard to draw the line between dumb and smart beasts? I suggest Bear read some of Temple Grandin's work on the compassionate slaughter of cows.

And what about politicians? Are they a luxury?

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

04/12/2011 05:49:26 PM · #12

This sort of thing really annoys me. Some cosy person, sitting eating a Big Mac sees this sort of report and instantly farts out of retort of just how barbaric some people are and how civilised people just don't do this kind of thing.

The truth is they do, some people rely on Pilot Whales, seals, whales and seabirds for their very survival, just as Polar Bears kill seals to survive. Just because everywhere in a 'civilised world' has a McDonalds or KFC doesn't mean other people don't have to rely on the wildlife around them to live. Some areas in this bloated, overstuffed world of arse scratching bigots still have to struggle to live.

Is this really so?? You bet!!

04/12/2011 05:54:14 PM · #13

Originally posted by tnun:

Sometimes hard to draw the line between dumb and smart beasts? I suggest Bear read some of Temple Grandin's work on the compassionate slaughter of cows.

I meant that somewhat tongue in cheek. And I'm very familiar with Temple Grandin, a remarkable woman indeed.

R.

tnun

Ricoh GR III

Sigma 24-35mm f/2.0 DG HSM A

04/12/2011 06:50:00 PM · #14

Ah Bear, I would have thought so. But I forBear asking just how familiar....

PS. I should have read your post more carefully. Heaven forfend I need a tongue in cheek emoticon.

Message edited by author 2011-04-12 18:53:17.

dmadden

Canon EOS-40D

04/12/2011 08:12:56 PM · #15

Ohhh so they do eat them!! They don't just slaughter and dump the meat. In that case I could never jump to judge. Not that I'd be interested in that dance. but its not much different from a deer hunter. Different cultures.

kenskid

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

04/12/2011 08:29:01 PM · #16

If that is their food supply and they are eating the meat, then it is ok. I'm pretty sure that species is not close to extinction.

On another note....everyone should go visit a slaughter house and see where hamburger comes from.

apercep

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon

04/12/2011 08:47:37 PM · #17

Being a sportsman and believing in utilizing the animal to my best extent, i won't disagree with the act of the harvest. However, I can't really condone the exact manner of the kill. (If it is in fact how the article portrays.)

04/12/2011 09:09:15 PM · #18

Originally posted by kenskid:

If that is their food supply and they are eating the meat, then it is ok. I'm pretty sure that species is not close to extinction.

Well, humans are nowhere NEAR extinction, maybe we can harvest a few of us too? My problem here is that Cetaceans are intelligent creatures. It bothers me to see them being hunted for any reason at all, even for subsistence foodstuffs. That may be hypocritical of me, but I feel like we have to draw the line somewhere. If we think it's OK to eat whales, why isn't it OK to eat humans?

R.

fldave

Pentax K5II

04/12/2011 09:20:28 PM · #19

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

If we think it's OK to eat whales, why isn't it OK to eat humans? R.

"Soylent Green is PEOPLE!"

Not only should we draw the line at which species we eat (some cultures eat monkey brains as well) but we need to consider needed quantity of the chosen as well. Settlers in the US 200 years ago shot buffalo for food... some slaughtered and decimated entire herds at one time, leaving hundreds of carcasses to rot.

If you feel the slaughters in Denmark need to be stopped, sign the petition at Care2

tnun

Ricoh GR III

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/12/2011 09:40:02 PM · #20

Drawing the line is NOT the issue. We don't know enough to draw the line. Our job is to consume with respect and humility. Drawing lines is NOT going to get us there. Drawing lines has, in fact, got us to where we are now.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

04/13/2011 12:56:58 AM · #21

Originally posted by RayEthier:

Funny thing that... we get a similar reaction from people regarding the seal hunt in Canada. Ok for them to eat "PatÃ© de foie-gras", but it's not ok for an easterner to feed his family.

Ray

I just heard today that the governement of Canada has spent about $18 billion in "diplomatic efforts" to open new opportunities for the sealskin market, which grosses about $1 billion ... wouldn't it be (18x) cheaper to pay the hunters whatever they usually make to stay home?

PS: I'm talking about the baby harp seal hunt, not indigenous people hunting seals for food.

Originally posted by kenskid:

On another note....everyone should go visit a slaughter house and see where hamburger comes from.

Or just read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair ...

"Those who like the Law and sausages should watch neither being made."

Message edited by author 2011-04-13 01:11:46.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

04/13/2011 10:36:06 AM · #22

This thread is making me hungry.

Spork99

OM System OM-1

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

04/13/2011 10:39:27 AM · #23

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by kenskid:
If that is their food supply and they are eating the meat, then it is ok. I'm pretty sure that species is not close to extinction.

Well, humans are nowhere NEAR extinction, maybe we can harvest a few of us too? My problem here is that Cetaceans are intelligent creatures. It bothers me to see them being hunted for any reason at all, even for subsistence foodstuffs. That may be hypocritical of me, but I feel like we have to draw the line somewhere. If we think it's OK to eat whales, why isn't it OK to eat humans?

R.

I'm sure the whales would reciprocate, given the opportunity.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/13/2011 11:03:57 AM · #24

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

This is not exactly a new proposal ... ;-)