Miami Vegan Blog

I just had a conversation with someone that I consider very intelligent. HOWEVER! He said, "Animals were put on this Earth to serve mankind." WHAT!

This is how the rest of the debate went:

HIM: "Humans can do many things that animals can't do."

ME: "Animals can do what they need to do."

HIM: "Yes, but an animal can't build a building."

ME: "If an ant was our size, he could pick up this building."

HIM: "We have dominion over animals."

ME: "What does that mean, exactly?"

HIM: "We are the superior species. All animals answer to us. They are here for our benefit."

ME: "We learned to fly, swim, build, hunt, travel, colonize and adapt from animals."

HIM: "Yes, but animals cannot learn things from us."

ME: "Humans teach animals things all the time. Usually for entertainment purposes."

HIM: "Yes, but anything an animal can do we can do."

ME: "Wrong! Elephants can send a vibrational signal through the ground that can be felt and understood by other elephants 100 miles away. Can we do that?"

HIM: "Yes, through the phone."

ME: "Certain starfish can instantaneously clone themselves in the presence of danger."

HIM: "So."

ME: "Certain frogs can become female if their population is predominately male."

HIM: "So."

ME: "I give up."

This is the kind of conversation I have with MY FATHER on a daily basis. Tiring but fun... :-X

Labels: animals, egocentricity, evolution, flawed thinking, humans, mankind, philosophy, superiority, vegan, veganism

Labels: animal rights, animals, calves, cows, dairy, milk, veal

Mon Jun 11, 9:46 PM ET

KEY LARGO, Fla. - A stranded deaf Atlantic bottlenose dolphin delivered her calf Monday at a marine mammal rehabilitation center in the Florida Keys. The unnamed calf is approximately 42 inches long and weighs about 30 pounds, according to officials at the Marine Mammal Conservancy.

"The calf looks great. It's swimming real well and breathing normally," said MMC president Robert Lingenfelser

The calf's mother, Castaway, has been vocalizing to the calf and the baby has answered back, said Lingenfelser.

But Lingenfelser said he is certain that Castaway cannot process the calf's return sounds.

"Castaway's vocalizations are not normal," Lingenfelser said. "She speaks in a monotone, similar to the way that people who cannot hear speak."

Because Castaway can't hear, MMC officials installed a dolphin "chat line" of sorts, electronically connecting Castaway's habitat with a lagoon at Dolphins Plus, a research and interactive educational facility a few miles away. Underwater speakers and microphones were installed at both locations and connected via phone lines donated by AT&T Florida.

Officials hope the calf will develop communications' skills by speaking to dolphins at Dolphins Plus when the system is fully turned on soon.

[Source]

Labels: animals, blog, deaf dolphin, key largo, south florida