Statement Marc Bekoff

- 09-10-2012 - news

Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., is a former Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Marc Bekoff has done a lot for animals and will for sure continue. He has won many awards for his scientific research including the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Marc has written more than 200 articles, numerous books, and has edited three encyclopedias. His books include the Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare. He is the coordinator of the Roots & Shoots programm of Jane Goodall and a member of the Ethics Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute.

Quote Marc Bekoff:
“Dominion does not mean domination. We hold dominion over animals only because of our powerful and ubiquitous intellect. Not because we are morally superior. Not because we have a “right” to exploit those who cannot defend themselves. Let us use our brain to move toward compassion and away from cruelty, to feel empathy rather than cold indifference, to feel animals’ pain in our hearts.”
― Marc Bekoff, Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect

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Commercial companies like Sea World and Loro Parque are constantly searching and exploiting loopholes in the law in order to be able to keep animals such as Morgan in captivity. Morgan is now being kept under the justification that she will be used for scientific research and to promote education – however neither real research nor education is taking place and these reasons are merely superficial guises to try to qualify her detainment at the entertainment park.

I hope the Dutch legal system will not fall for transparent excuses such as these; there are international laws and agreements in place that are supposed to protect these animals from being used commercially. These laws must be observed, abided and respected; otherwise they become meaningless now and in the future.

I never felt the Dolphinarium intended to keep her solely for rehabilitation and eventual release to the wild, but I did feel they were trying to condition her for shipment to Sea World. Sea World, which has a very strong relationship with the Dolphinarium of Harderwijk, was very enthusiastic upon hearing of the stranding and capture of an Orca. Moreso learning that the Orca was a young female who could be used fresh stock for the breeding of new captive Orcas. Both Sea World and Dolphinarium Harderwijk have been and continue to be very deceptive and manipulate the mind of the general public. A huge amount of money is invested in PR in order to try and garner favour for their personal initiatives. By speaking of Morgan as a ‘baby’ who had lost her mother, by giving her a name and allowing the media to access her to take film and pictures, they created a false idyllic picture of both her treatment and the Dolphinarium’s intentions. It is all a strategy to exploit Morgan. The fact of the matter is that every potential method is being utilized in order to procure Morgan as a commodity of the Dolphinaria in order to use her to perform and make money for the company.

Signed,

Marc Bekoff

Professor emeritus
Ecology and Evolutonary Biology
University of Colorado, Boulder

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