...November 2013 Is Killer Really the Right Word? “1961 first orca is captured and taken to the Marineland of the Pacific Park in Los Angeles. She dies a day later after repeatedly swimming around her pool at high speed and ramming into the sides” (Smith). Killer whales are a very large and powerful animal like any other wild animal, they can be unpredictable. Killer whales are beautiful creatures. The experience of seeing a killer whale for the first time is breath taking. My grandparents took me to SeaWorld in Orlando was I was 8, and after seeing a killer whale I was hooked. After going back many times it influenced me to want to become a whale trainer. As years have gone on I have learned killer whales in SeaWorld means they are in captivity. Why are these amazing animals spending their whole lives in a small swimming pool? Killer whales have been taken out of their habitats and put into captivity for research to be done on these amazing animals. An associate director of the Environmental Group Earth Island Institute Mark Berman says trying to incarcerate an animal as large as a killer whale or an animal with a large brain it’s proven it does not work (Pete). These killer whales need the freedom to travel wherever they’d like, not to have a routine day after day for the whole lives. The killer whales swimming in pools of aquariums builds frustration and aggression. Lori Marino is a neuroscientists says when whales in captivity are thrown with other whales that are no in their...
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...Captain Ahab who is determined to kill the whale or die trying. Now this is a work of fiction but people have been hunting whales for tens of thousands of years. It only took America about ten years to kill 50 – 60 million buffalo; it makes it hard to believe there are many whales left after thousands of years hunting them. This paper is about the Whaling Debate on whether countries should be allowed to continue to hunt whales or should we leave them protected and my beliefs on the subject. This debate has also focused on issues of sustainability and conservation as well as ownership and national sovereignty. Some of the issues included in these debates is the question of cetacean intelligence this refers to the Cetacea order of mammals, which includes whales, porpoises, and dolphins; and the level of suffering which the animals undergo when caught and killed (The Whale Debate: Whale Wars, 2014). Another hot topic in the debate right now is the right to kill a certain amount of whales for scientific research, Japan kills 1000 minke whales a year and about 100 endangered fin and humpback whales. Whales are mammals the same as we are and they are intelligent and have feelings such as pain and a sense of loss. Before I get into my opinion I will list the pros and cons of this particular activity. There are a few of each so I will start with the reasons for whaling, many indigenous people, such as the Inuit’s of Alaska, rely on whales for food and other materials to survive...
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...that simply drift along wherever water currents take them. This includes zooplankton, algae, phytoplankton, and bacteria (G. Karleskint Jr. et al, 2010, p.464). But while it is common to see them as food for fish, they have other roles in nature what make them essential organisms in the delicate balance of our ecosystem. This paper will highlight the critical role of plankton as the organisms that make life on earth possible by describing the foundational role it plays in the food chain and in significant bio-chemical processes and discussing the negative effects it will give to the environment. I. Main Functions of Plankton in the Environment There are two main roles played by plankton in the environment. The first important role of plankton is in the food chain. Because of their microscopic size, they serve as food for other microorganisms, fishes and seal animals, which make-up 30% percent of the world’s entire intake of animal protein (J.H. Steele et al, 2009, p.8). Thus, we find plankton at the bottom of the food chain: zooplanktons eat other planktons for food, which in turn, along with phytoplankton and bacterioplankton, are food for fish and sea mammals, most of which eventually become food for human beings. Secondly, plankton plays an important role in the earth’s biochemical processes. Phytoplankton, for one, is responsible for the primary production of organic compounds that sustains the aquatic ecosystem. Because they have plant-like features, they are capable of...
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...David Stauth and Stuart WolpertJuly 01, 2010Category: Research Illustration of sabertooth cat fighting with woolly mammoth. (Credit: Mauricio Anton, courtesy of Oregon State University) The extinction of woolly mammoths and other large mammals more than 10,000 years ago may be explained by the same type of cascade of ecosystem disruption that is being caused today by the global decline of predators such as wolves, cougars and sharks, life scientists report July 1 in the cover article of the journal Bioscience. Then, as now, the cascading events were originally begun by human disruption of ecosystems, a new study concludes, but around 15,000 years ago the problem was not the loss of a key predator, but the addition of one — human hunters with spears. This mass extinction was caused by newly arrived humans tipping the balance of power and competing with major predators such as sabertooth cats, the authors of the new analysis argue. An equilibrium that had survived for thousands of years was disrupted, perhaps explaining the loss of two-thirds of North America's large mammals during this period. "We suggest that the arrival of humans to North America triggered a trophic cascade in which competition for the largest prey was intensified, ultimately causing the large non-human carnivores to decimate the large herbivores," said Blaire Van Valkenburgh, UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and a co-author on the paper. "When human hunters arrived on the scene, they provided...
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...Organism Physiology Organism Physiology BIO/ 101 Nov. 30, 2012 University of Phoenix Organism Physiology My paper is going to discuss organism physiology and the basic fundamentals of organism while explaining what my understanding is and what I have learned. In order to better help me understand what organism is I had to first define the meaning. “Organisms are any living thing such as fungus, animals, plants, or micro-organism” (Dictionary.com) in which is a body made up of organs, organelles, along with different other parts that combine together to help continue the process of life. The continuous organisms never stop only cause it is what living things need to live for example the life of a dolphin. Dolphins have been known to be social creatures also being known for their interaction for the purpose of hunting, defense, and reproduction. (Aqua)They are also carnivores that feed on such sea creatures as fish, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, crabs, shrimps, and lobsters as for them; they are mostly food for sharks, killer whales, humans. Most expected age for an normal living Dolphins is said to be around the age of 30 years. Compare to a normal human that’s usually consider a young age. (UnderstandDolphins.com- (Diagram) In looking at the diagram, you see a lot of common factors that most living things have in order to live such as a heart, a brain, bones, and other organs that a body would need to live. As the same as human being animals have certain and...
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...03 / 16 / 2014 Title of Assignment: Legal, Ethical & Social Values on Having Animals In Captivity CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledge and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas of words, whether quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course. Student Signature: ___________________________ ******************************************* Instructor’s Grade on Assignment: Instructor’s Comments: I. Introduction II. Legal Section A. Licensing Requirements B. Accommodation C. Nutrition D. Sanitation and Disease Control E. Veterinary Care F. General Welfare G. Safety and Security H. Operations III. Ethics Section A. Utilitarian Ethical Analysis B. Kantian Ethical Analysis C. Aristotelian Ethical Analysis IV. Social Responsibility Section V. Conclusion VI. References ABSTRACT Animals are one of the most important things in my life, I have dedicated and I will dedicate my life to animals. This is why this paper is so important for me, but I am sure it is also same as important to the world. Now a days Animals in captivity is something that people is staring at more, they are starting to realize that there is nothing moral or ethical in it. There are more than 400...
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...Introduction Since the indefinite commercial whaling moratorium was introduced in 1986, the whaling nations have killed around 15,000 whales between them. At the time of writing, the Japanese whaling fleet has just returned from Antarctic waters where a further 300 or so minke whales have been killed for so called ‘research’, in open defiance of world public opinion and the IWC which has never validated the Japanese programme. The meat from those dead whales will end up on sale in Japanese restaurants and on supermarket shelves. Japan is not only defying the global moratorium on commercial whaling, it is killing whales in a sanctuary agreed by the IWC in 1994. Japan has ‘recruited’ many countries to the IWC to support the resumption of commercial whaling using foreign aid packages. If the ban is lost it will be a disaster for whale conservation efforts. This report presents the many reasons why the ban on commercial whaling must be maintained and properly enforced. We cannot wipe away the tragic history of commercial whaling, but we can, and must, prevent its repetition. The Natural History of Whales Whales belong to the order of mammals known as Cetacea. There are about 80 species of cetaceans, including all the dolphins and porpoises, as well as the ten so-called ‘great’ whale species, which have borne the brunt of commercial whaling. Cetaceans are believed to have evolved from land mammals, which adapted to an aquatic existence about 50 million years ago. They are superbly...
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...F Skinner also known as the creator of this study “believed that the mechanisms of learning are the same for all species” (Kiernan, fall 2013) [The citation for a direct quote needs the page number] . Skinner’s taught us [Use "we," "us," or "our" to mean yourself and coauthors, not general humanity (or yourself and the reader)] that any behavior can be accomplished if presented and taught properly through the rules of operant conditioning by simply punishing or reinforcing. Although Skinner was seen [The passive voice is a form of "be" (was) and a participle (seen). Over-use of the passive voice can make paragraphs officious and tedious to read. Prefer the active voice. For example, passive voice = The paper was completed on time. Active voice = the student completed the paper on time.] as the primary figure in this theory, he wouldn’t [Contractions are inappropriate in academic writing--write it out] have been able to [Wordiness: this phrase can be simplified to one word--"could"] accomplish it without the input of E.L Thorndike. Thorndike discovered the “law and effect method stating that behaviors followed by positive outcomes are strengthened and behaviors followed by negative outcomes are weakened” (King, 2013, p178) [The abbreviation for "page" in an in-text citation is "p."] . This was the basic format for Skinner’s approach only that Thorndike discovered this in 1898....
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...Running Head: Environmental Crime Environmental Crime [Name] [School] In partial fulfillment of the requirements for [subject] [Professor] [Date] ABSTRACT Environmental Crime is a very serious crime not only to the present society but also to the next generation of humans, animals and plants. This is a serious matter that affects the whole plant. This research paper discusses the definition of environmental crime, a few examples of companies that had committed environmental crime, environmental laws and crime punishment of the companies who had committed these crimes. Definition of Environmental Crime Environmental Crime is very hard to define. Some people say that it is a white collar crime, to others it is not just simply a white collar crime but it can be considered as crime against society. Whit Gibbons (2001) had shown two types of environmental crime in his article. First type is an individual such as an ordinary person dumping waste to the river and the other type is the white-collared type where companies dump harmful contaminants to a water source or the air. The main difference of the two according to Gibbons (2001) is that it is easier to prosecute an individual than a business corporation. The sad part is the business corporations who commit environmental crimes affects the environment more than an individual. He had treated the business corporation offenders as white-collar criminals and as such defined it...
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...CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY Oil spill is the leakage or discharge of petroleum onto the surface of inland or coastal water. It assumes disastrous dimension when an uncontrollable well blows out or pipeline ruptures. On water surface, spreading takes place immediately, which is very harmful to various types of aquatic lives as it prevents sufficient amount of sunlight from penetrating and also reduces the land-dissolving capacity in the water. The magnitude of crude oil pollution and damage occasioned by multi-national oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is incredible (Urhobo Historical Society, 2003). It is noteworthy that the devastating consequences of the crude oil spill in the region with its eventual hazards on both aerial and terrestrial environments is tantamount to an irreversible chain effect on both the biodiversity and human safety. Abbot (2007) in her article entitled “Think Jamaica is Bad? Try Nigeria” notes that the discovery of oil has been an ecological disaster for the Niger Delta where the oil is extracted. Oil and natural resources of a country are often considered to be national assets. Oil penetrates into the structure of the plumage of birds and the fur of mammals, reducing its insulating ability, and making them more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and much less buoyant in the water. Animals that rely on scent to find their babies or mothers fade away due to the strong scent of the oil....
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...Going Vegetarian Many people believe that vegetarians aren’t able to find meatless items at restaurants. It may seem to be more difficult, but according to the “Vegetarian Times” eight out of ten restaurants in the United States offer vegetarian choices. Although being a vegetarian can be challenging, the benefits outweigh the burdens. Today, there are many healthy, vegetarian choices in restaurants around the world. For example, apples and yogurt can even be found at McDonalds! “Farmer’s Weekly” says that not only is a vegetarian diet healthy but it also helps cut greenhouse gases, conserve water, and conserve land. Today, many people are trying to become eco-friendly and don’t know what they can do to help. Giving up meat is a healthy choice for you, for the animals, and it could even help solve world hunger. Many people, when they think of becoming vegetarian, wonder how they are going to get enough protein and iron in their diet. According the book, The Case for Vegetarianism, people are mistaken in thinking that protein comes from animals. Protein actually comes from plant food, meaning that all animals get protein through the food they eat. When trying to figure out what foods have protein, whole grains, beans, nuts, eggs, and peas are all high in protein, as well as all dairy products. To be the healthiest, one’s diet should include a variety of whole foods. Excess protein actually puts stress on the liver and kidney and is also linked with calcium...
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...Practice Test #1 Sentence Correction 1. To meet the rapidly rising market demand for fish and seafood, suppliers are growing fish twice as fast as they grow naturally, cutting their feed allotment by nearly half and raising them on special diets. 2. Organized in 1966 by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Breeding Bird Survey uses annual roadside counts along established routes to monitor changes in the populations of more than 250 bird species, including 180 songbirds. 3. Less than 35 years after the release of African honeybees outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, their descendants, popularly known as killer bees, had migrated as far north as southern Texas. 4. Excited about the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls to produce electric power, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, predicted in the mid-1890's that electricity generated at Niagara would one day power the streetcars of London and the streetlights of Paris. 5. The airline company, following through on recent warnings that it might start reducing service, announced that it was eliminating jet service to nine cities, closing some unneeded operations, and grounding twenty-two planes. 6. The list of animals that exhibit a preference for using either the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has been expanded to include the lower vertebrates. 7. Obtaining an investment-grade rating will keep the county's future borrowing costs low, protect its already-tattered...
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...500 extraordinary islands G R E E N L A N D Beaufort Sea Baffin Bay vi Da i tra sS t a nm De it Stra rk Hudson Bay Gulf of Alaska Vancouver Portland C A N A D A Calgary Winnipeg Newfoundland Quebec Minneapolis UNITED STATES San Francisco Los Angeles San Diego Phoenix Dallas Ottawa Montreal ChicagoDetroitToronto Boston New York OF AMERICA Philadelphia Washington DC St. Louis Atlanta New Orleans Houston Monterrey NORTH AT L A N T I C OCEAN MEXICO Guadalajara Mexico City Gulf of Mexico Miami Havana CUBA GUATEMALA HONDURAS b e a n Sea EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA Managua BAHAMAS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JAMAICA San Juan HAITI BELIZE C a r PUERTO RICO ib TRINIDAD & Caracas N TOBAGO A COSTA RICA IA M PANAMA VENEZUELA UYANRINA H GU C U G Medellín A PAC I F I C OCEAN Galapagos Islands COLOMBIA ECUADOR Bogotá Cali S FR EN Belém Recife Lima BR A Z I L PERU La Paz Brasélia Salvador Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro ~ Sao Paulo BOLIVIA PARAGUAY CHILE Cordoba Santiago Pôrto Alegre URUGUAY Montevideo Buenos Aires ARGENTINA FALKLAND/MALVINAS ISLANDS South Georgia extraordinary islands 1st Edition 500 By Julie Duchaine, Holly Hughes, Alexis Lipsitz Flippin, and Sylvie Murphy Contents Chapter 1 Beachcomber Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Aquatic Playgrounds 2 Island Hopping the Turks & Caicos: Barefoot Luxury 12 Life’s a Beach 14 Unvarnished & Unspoiled 21 Sailing...
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...for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton. — Sir Raymond Priestley, Antarctic Explorer and Geologist On January 18, 1915, the ship Endurance, carrying a highly celebrated British polar expedition, froze into the icy waters off the coast of Antarctica. The leader of the expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton, had planned to sail his boat to the coast through the Weddell Sea, which bounded Antarctica to the north, and then march a crew of six men, supported by dogs and sledges, to the Ross Sea on the opposite side of the continent (see Exhibit 1).1 Deep in the southern hemisphere, it was early in the summer, and the Endurance was within sight of land, so Shackleton still had reason to anticipate reaching shore. The ice, however, was unusually thick for the ship’s latitude, and an unexpected southern wind froze it solid around the ship. Within hours the Endurance was completely beset, a wooden island in a sea of ice. More than eight months later, the ice still held the vessel. Instead of melting and allowing the crew to proceed on its mission, the ice, moving with ocean currents, had carried the boat over 670 miles north.2 As it moved, the ice slowly began to soften, and the tremendous force of distant currents alternately broke apart the floes—wide plateaus made of thousands of tons of ice—and pressed them back together, creating rift lines with huge piles of broken ice slabs...
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...The Marine Environmental Impacts of Artificial Island Construction Dubai, UAE By Bayyinah Salahuddin Date: _______________ Approved: _________________________ Dr. Michael Orbach, Advisor Masters project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Environmental Management degree in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences of Duke University 2006 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ﻷﺟﻞ أهﻠﻲ First, I thank Allah for making my research successful and rewarding. Next, I would like to thank my dear family for their generous, unwavering support and encouragement. Finally, I would like to thank the Student International Discussion Group and the Environmental Internship Fund at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University for funding my research. -2- ABSTRACT In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is building three colossal artificial islands— each in the shape of a palm tree—in the Arabian Gulf. This has prompted several other Gulf countries to construct artificial islands. To determine the impacts of the first of these Palm Islands, The Palm Jumeirah, I traveled to Dubai and interviewed governmental agencies, environmental groups, and the developer’s environmental scientists. I analyzed the island’s impacts on marine wildlife as well as the developer’s mitigation efforts and the developer’s compliance with the relevant environmental laws. The Palm Jumeirah has buried and asphyxiated wildlife, increased turbidity, and changed...
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