In the sea all kinds of noise goes on day and night: oil exploration uses underwater blasts, the world's various navies use sonar to locate one another, there are literally thousands of cargo ships at any one time carrying goods mostly from Asia to the US (and other consumers, there are navy ships and ocean liners and all kinds of cruiise ships. REsearches discovered in Madagascar, near where oil exploration was taking place, that many whales swam up fresh water rivers and beached themselves, apparently to get away from the noise. Autopsies showed hemorhages in the aulitory part of their brains.
Most whale hunting has ceased bu the Japanese still hunt with huge whale processing factory ships. It seems the containership builders are realizing that certain adjustments in their propellers and their engines can make them much quieter and use much less fuel thus being less expensive to operate and pollutting less... they know this but, say the experts, it will take "a generation" for such improvements to happen. That will be a long time. There are quieter ways to explore and drill for oil but that will take a long time to change. Meanwhile we are torturing the whales. This fact alone bothers me terribly. I cherish quiet: I feel invaded when a motorcycle (or a gang fo cyclists) roars through, when a car goes by windows open, radio blasting, when fire, police, ambulances put on their sirens to go through the intersection very near to me. I see that we have a generation who are now walking about with "buds" in their ears, constant sound -- sound of their choice, I assume. It's a different subject altogether, but what are they doing to their brains?
2 comments:
June -- I am with you on your thoughts about the torture of whales (and dolphins!). Our world is changing fast with the population explosion that demands more and more of consumer goods. As result our wild animals are all at risk of sad endings, our planet is heating up and our food is becoming full of toxic components. Yet, the majority skips over these facts and continue on their ruinous ways. Will we ever see this situation turn around? -- barbara
I totally agree with you, Barbara. I have doubt that enough positives can happen -- when I read the news and see that there are many places in the world where poverty, gross ignorance and old traditional ways cling, it seems indifference to the ecology will be too slow to save most of what we take for granted.
Post a Comment