Bite The Hand That Feeds You

Ever heard the saying "don't bite the hand that feeds you"? It's a saying that encourages a person not to betray or damage the relationship with a person that looks out for or supports them in any way. In origin, it primarily referred to the relationship between dog and man; animal and master. However, it can be applied to just about any relationship where one is providing for another.

To keep with the origin, the saying is being used in this context to refer to the relationship between animal and man; specifically dolphin and man. It's a fun and interesting fact that dolphins, being marine mammals, are protectors of humans in the ocean. There have been several reports of dolphins often coming to the rescue of surfers who have found themselves the target of a curious, confused, and/or hungry shark (apparently it's a common misconception that sharks prey on humans).  The dolphins are reported to either swim circles around the surfer until they are clear of harm, or to charge the shark causing it to flee. (Wow! Really??) Yet, every year thousand of dolphins are drove into captivity and slaughtered in the name amusement, education, research, and even delicacy. (talk about irony)

It's this irony that brought writer, Mark Monroe, director, Louie Psihoyos, and former "Flipper" co-star Richard O'Barry, together for the 2009 documentary film, The Cove. The Cove is a tantilizing account of the dolphin drive hunting that takes place in Taiji, Japan, where obscure local fisherman are driving wild dolphins into a restricted lagoon off the Taiji coast to be rounded up in the hopes of being sold for attraction. The film depicts how the "it" dolphin or dolphins can be prized at $100,000 or more, and the dolphins that don't "make the cut", are slaughtered and the meat is sold on the black market, ofen being disguised as whale. (Dag, when did it become a delicacy to eat whale?? I'm just trying escargot...and that's pretty damn disgusting if you ask me!) Upon a successful barter, the "prized" dolphins are removed from their natural habitat, the vast wild ocean, and relocated to marine museums around the world, where they become speculation for human admiration.

The film goes well beyond simply documenting the clandestine events that take place in the shallow waters, and explores how dolphins are more than mere animals and are equipped with intellect as well as compassion. Ric O'Barry, co-star of the late 60's hit series "Flipper" says what pushed him into this dolphin activism, is the death of his co-star Kathy, who he says committed suicide in his arms as a result of stress and despression due to captivity. He states that dolphins have the ability to control when they open and close their blowhole in order to breath above water. That being said, it's not an involuntary body function. Dolphins make a conscious decision to breath air. O' Barry says that Kathy swam into his arms, looked into his eyes, and closed her blowhole for good (she suffocated herself). A short time later he was arrested for cutting a hole in a sea pen in the attempt to free a captured dolphin. O'Barry hasn't stopped ever since. He has committed his life to the advocacy of dolphins.

If that isn't enough to surmise that dolphins are individuals, much more alike humans than not, capable of emotions in addition to intellect, there are claims (not made by The Cove) that dolphins were recruited by the US military during the Vietnemese War and trained to kill naval deep sea divers by seperating the diver with his oxygen mask. During mock trials (with dummies), the dolphins executed the "kill" time and time again. However, when it came time for the final test with live humans, the dolphins refused to inflict impending danger on the divers and were reported to beaten to death as a consequence. (Unbelievable to say the least) So, not only are dolphins intelligent enough to be trained to amuse and kill, they are compassionate and intuitive enough to preserve human life, even if it cost them their own. It's understandable that such marvels would garner admiration and adoration but must it come in the form of exploitation??

It's pretty safe to say that the contributors of The Cove would answer that question in a resounding NO! However, supporters of dolphin fishing believe there's no foul as they are acting lawfully within the parameters set by the International Whaling Commission. One critic of The Cove, says "it's a case of (mostly) white men saving cute dolphins from yellow men". The Japanese government responded by saying "The dolphin hunting is a part of traditional fishery of this country and it has been lawfully carried out."

As long as revenue is capable of being generated from dolphin drives, it's unlikely things will change. And this fact goes back to the before mentioned saying "don't bite the hand that feeds you". It seems that Westerners, Europeans, and Japanese alike, among many other nationalities, are guilty of "biting the hand that feeds them". Dolphins have proven to protect human life at cost, and humans in turn compromise theirs. Why?? What is man's obsession with and dependacy upon slavery?? And how is it that he justifies himself with disillusioned claims of salvation and protection??