Whales and dolphins are cultured creatures with intelligence and need to be granted basic individual rights, scientists say
Emory University Atlanta professor Lori Marino and Thomas White of Loyola Marymount University of California presented the Cetacean Animal Rights Declaration at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference this weekend in Vancouver.
They talked about studies that have proven that whales and dolphins are self-aware, have individualities and think of others like humans. Animals of the cetacean family are aware of their "I" - they recognize themselves in the mirror - and understand the language of symbols.
This means that their cognitive abilities are similar to those of humans. "These animals are very similar to us: they demonstrate self-awareness, can control their behavior and have abstract thinking," said White. “They are even more social creatures than humans.” Their lives have a cultural dimension, which includes learning and passing on cultural traits from one generation to the next. Moreover, they use tools.
“We found that many of the same qualities that make humans human are found in other animals,” Marino said. “Therefore, animals cannot be regarded as property: they cannot be caught, kept in captivity, killed and exploited - that is, do all the things that we still do with whales and dolphins,” said Lori Marino. President of Coalition for No Whales in Captivity”Anneliese Sorg hopes that the last symposium“will open a door that has not been opened to any animal species until now”.
