Lonely whales are 'losing the will to live' due to over-hunting

DailyMail.uk ^ | 02nd July 2008 | Daily Mail Reporter

[yankeedame]

Lonely whales are 'losing the will to live' due to over-hunting

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:57 PM on 02nd July 2008

The steeply declining number of whales in the world's oceans is causing the remaining creatures to suffer loneliness and 'lose the will the live', a leading expert has claimed.

The psychological impact of over-hunting on the highly intelligent and sociable animals has been identified as the latest threat to the survival of the species.

The whale population has already fallen dramatically over the past few centuries because to culling by Japan, Norway and Iceland, and the poisoning of oceans which kills off their food.

Whales could be extinct within decades

But now a French scientist has said the majestic mammals - which can reach 80ft in length and weigh the same as a passenger jet - could also suffer from heartbreak.

Paris naturalist Yves Paccalet said: 'It may be that these intelligent animals are so exhausted from their combat with humankind that they have simply have given up the fight.

'And the psychological consequences of our aggression have compromised their will to live.' ....

[Osage Orange]

Personally I think this article is a classic case of symbolism before substance.

That being said...I've no drive or reason to go and harvest a whale. But it's been done for hundreds of years....and if some want to do it under rules and regulations....then I'm okay with it.

FLAME SUIT ON....

[GovernmentShrinker]

The problem isn’t “indigenous peoples” doing subsistence hunting. It’s a handful of countries (e.g. Japan, Norway) doing huge scale commercial whaling for profit, selling the meat to restaurants where is sold to people who pay high prices for this “delicacy”.

[fr_freak]

I saw that—I think David Attenborough was narrating the program. It was sad. It took hours—6 or more I think for them to finally do the whale in and then they only ate a little bit of it. It was a very good documentary.

I think that was from the "Blue Planet" series from the BBC. Those were humpback whales, though, if I'm not mistaken, not blue whales, on their migration from Hawaii to the arctic.

By the way, if you like that sort of program, and you have a good HD-capable TV, I recommend the "Planet Earth" series from the BBC. It is sort of a sequel to the Blue Planet, and it is incredible to watch, both for the look at nature and the amazing cinematography.

[Mrs. Don-o]

My adopted son Vanya is from those "indigenous populations" you're talking about: he's a Koryak from Kamchatka RFE. It is not the "indigenous" people who are hunting the whales to extinction. It's Japanese "scientific" whalers-- scientific my asterisk --- and it's not a staple. A recent poll showed that 4% of the Japanese ate it "occasionally," and another 9% ate it "very rarely" --- it's an expensive luxury food.

Stupid whalers.

[combat_boots]

Get outta town! I will never say a bad thing about birds again.

[dainbramaged]

Not sure if the whales are actually depressed, but here is an interesting article on cetacean longevity:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060713-whale-eyes.html

[combat_boots]

Ferrets? Dang. I think I saw one once.

I do know that people’s dogs will often die from heartbreak, like when older people die and their little dogs pine away. That’s a sad thing. It is amazing to me that scientists don’t figure that animals grieve or feel emotion, or that some guy doing research is all surprised about it.

[WayneS]

MY EYES!!!

MY EYES!!!

IT BURRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNS!!!!

[Dixie Yooper]

I have been thinking about this issue lately because I like thinking and have come to the conclusion that whales are both lonely and in danger because they live in a dangerous environment, the oceans. If we were to round all of them up and keep them in huge floating cages that can be towed to their various places they like going to, we could protect them from all the dangerous things they are in danger from. We could also close up the area between them so they don't feel so lonely by making the cages smaller. The tug boats used to tow them around could be powered by bio-fuel made from algae and seaweed since I saw a show on TV that says they can do it. In just the few minutes of writing this dribble, I have given myself a major headache. How people come up with this crap 24/7 is beyond me.

[Species8472]

The Eskimo and native population here in Alaska no longer "need" these whales as their livelihood and food. They are the epitome of the welfare state. Thanks to welfare and other government handouts, a simple phone call or Internet order can have a shipment from Sams club or Costco in Anchorage to any village in Alaska in three days. Others take a (government subsidized) airplane ride to town for some shopping.

The subsistance "lifestyle" is a joke. Most native "whale Hunting" is done with modern aluminum boats, outboard motors, and modern hunting rifles. The dead whales are dragged from the ocean with front end loaders. The meat is distributed afterwards to the residents and the consumption is mostly ceremonial.

[ZULU]

Sorry.

I guess we agree that we disagree - strongly.

[xone]

Do they provide anything for which they are the sole source?

They are the only source of 'real' whale meat.

[kenth]

When did the parrot find the time to be lonely while working two jobs?

[dalereed]

“There is no justifiable reason for hunting and killing these creatures.”

Totally useless and stink if you’r closer than 1,000 yards downwind, seen thousands of them over the years.

Kill one and get rid off another without effort if the article is factual, which i seriously doubt.

[pabianice]

“Star Trek IV”... I saw that one.

[dalereed]

Jacques Cousteau was no conservationist!

He was a con man.

I used to dive with him at Catalina in the 60s.

He was the biggest lobster poacher around.

He gave me my first set of double tanks, they were french and were so heavy that I didn’t even need a weight belt with a 1/4” wetsuit.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Gack!.....I knew she would show up!

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Jeez!.....My eyes!....My eyes!

[combat_boots]

OK. Cute. Wrong antecedent.

[LukeL]