Dolphins are going to be given special " Non-human Person" status

Here is a quote from an interesting article that I was just now reading about dolphins, suggesting that since they are so intelligent, and so socially developed, that they should be considered as a non-human species of person .
Say what ?

I am totally in favor of all creatures being treated humanely by people, and no animal should be abused, or treated cruelly, but I do not believe that we should be giving them basically human status. They would have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, just like a human ? Rights to be married next maybe, so we will soon be seeing dolphin wedding ceremonies, and then paternity suits ?
Read this article quote, and see what you think :

The Ministry notes increasing worldwide efforts to bestow basic rights onto dolphins, such as the rights to life, liberty and bodily integrity. “Various scientists… have suggested that the unusually high intelligence… means that dolphins should be seen as “nonhuman persons” and as such should have their own specific rights… (it is) morally unacceptable to keep them for captive entertainment purposes.”

Since Dolphin is a mammal instead of a fish, I have to move this thread out of the aquarium fish section.

Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures. Their intelligence is nearly without par in the ocean. They have the intelligence of say a 7 or 8 year old child. I wouldn't keep a 7 year old child in a cage, and I don't think it's right to do the same with dolphins. I am very excited to hear that they are beginning to be widely recognized for this, and hopefully the changes come forth that this article has discussed. I'm not certain about the rules regarding links, but hopefully it's okay to link a YouTube I saw last week. This YouTube speaks to the intelligence of dolphins, and shows how they react when a mirror is introduced into their environment. I highly recommend you viewing it, and I am very interested to hear your response after viewing it.





Thanks for reading! All the best.

Dolphins are definitely one of the most intelligent creatures in the oceans! I am always fascinated by experiments (done humanely, of course) where dolphins are put in front of a mirror. They literally checked themselves out and started preening! They knew that those were their own mirror images and used them to make sure they looked their best! Most animals (apart from chimpanzees, orangutans and a few others) would think the reflection was another animal coming into its territory. A fish when presented with a mirror will try to attack its own reflection thinking that it is another fish!

I think that this is a bit silly. I, of course, 100% support the protection and rights of dolphins, but calling them "non-human persons" just makes a point that their lives are somehow more worthy that those of other animals. Rather than doing this, I would like to see humans reminded that we are just an animal species too. I would like to see all animals get more rights. Pigs and chickens are also highly intelligent animals, and the treatment they get is almost too horrible for words. It seems to me that the dolphins are getting better treatment simply because they're cuter and they don't have a big role in the food industry, since intelligence isn't the most valued trait even among humans.

(08-20-2013, 08:34 PM)ReneLeBeau Wrote: I think that this is a bit silly. I, of course, 100% support the protection and rights of dolphins, but calling them "non-human persons" just makes a point that their lives are somehow more worthy that those of other animals. Rather than doing this, I would like to see humans reminded that we are just an animal species too. I would like to see all animals get more rights. Pigs and chickens are also highly intelligent animals, and the treatment they get is almost too horrible for words. It seems to me that the dolphins are getting better treatment simply because they're cuter and they don't have a big role in the food industry, since intelligence isn't the most valued trait even among humans.

This is a big part of what I came here to say. I don't think any animal should have to prove its intelligence to be treated humanely, nor do I think a "non-human person" status is valid because this still implies that an animal should be treated with care and respect only as much as we can relate to it. I remember the debate about whether or not lobsters can feel pain, and it was recently found that yes, they can. A person can see an animal reacting in a way very similar to how a human would act but still discount it and say it's just instinct unless proven otherwise; only if an animal reacts exactly like a human will we start considering if there's any reason to protect them from ourselves.

Human beings are animals, too—highly advanced animals without parallel, yes, but so what? It's precisely because of our intelligence that we have the responsibility not to abuse the other animals on this planet. And for me, it's better safe than sorry. I wouldn't want to cause harm to an animal, even if it's not proven that they can feel pain or feel pain in the same way humans do. It's not practical on a grand scale, no, but I do feel we all have the responsibility to do our best.

Instead of "non-human person" being granted to dolphins, I'd say give humans an "only possible perpetrator" status! By this I mean that I don't see how we can extend animal rights without limiting human behavior. If a dolphin has a "right" to live, then only humans can understand this right; a shark isn't going to be held up to the word of the law, obviously. It would be more accurate to say, not "dolphins have a right to life," but "humans do not have the right to kill dolphins." I think that handles the non-human person status, though I have to say I know nothing of law or philosophy Just my early morning ramblings.

I too believe the whole concept of "their own specific rights" is quite flawed.

While I am all for the protection of wild animals (as well as domesticated pets), it is wrong to judge any animal species based on their level of intelligence. If only the "smart" animals deserve special treatment, should we humans also get different level of basic human rights and privileges based on how smart each individual person is? I think not.

It is the very reason I am not supporting certain groups who claim to be protecting animal rights. Some of them seem to be "protecting" only the cute animals. We shouldn't be selective when it comes to protecting animals. It is a form of inequality or prejudice lol.

The problem with this is that it justifies cruel treatment of animals that fall below a certain line of intelligence without addressing the cruelty. They are basically saying that dolphins so they shouldn't be kept in a cage to be studied and watch. But other animals like sharks, rays, eels, and fish it is fine because they are just stupid animals. You can't even gage intelligence because each species has it's own way of being intelligent.

I don't remember the zoo, but there was an octopus that had memorized the schedule of the security person. When the person had pass, the octopus squirted water on the light to put it out because it was to bright. For like a year, the people at the aquarium couldn't figure out why the light was going out and had the electrician checking for bad wiring. They only figured it out when they caught the octopus putting the light out. So should they be considered nonhuman person? It will probably never happen because they aren't mammals.

Giving only dolphins, and probably soon orcas, rights equivalent to a human is biased against other animals based on both assumed intelligence and the fact they are mammals. Instead of giving dolphins rights doesn't fix the inhuman aquariums that provide enough room or good food for their animals. It doesn't fix the core problem is the low standards we have for animals that we take into captivity.

"Non-human persons" seems off. Dolphins are animals and that makes them different than humans and the word person also pertains to humans. Dolphins do have higher intelligence than most animals but they will always be called animals. That's putting them on a pedestal equal to ours. While I do support their rights, they still need to remain in their own classification. While the British did this, they should not expect the rest of the world to agree with them.