The Role of Imaging and Audio Science in Conservation
David Attenborough’s ‘Wonder of Song’ documentary focuses on the study of the evolution of bird song. However he discusses the very first recordings of Humpback calls (manipulated to x2 speed they sound a bit like birdsong) and he highlighted that at the time of these new underwater recording, humans were killing whales in their thousands and had been for centuries, almost to the brink of extinction. When the beautiful and sorrowful recordings of Humpbacks were shared with humanity in the 1960s, we heard their song and there was a sudden shift in attitude, a shift towards stopping whaling fleets, and new organisations began campaigning to end whaling. Perhaps even Paul Watson was affected and motivated by the sounds of humpacks in the first years of his campaigning?
With those first recordings, we heard humpback whales and connected with them, and felt empathy and an affinity with them. We wanted to protect them.
As we use technology to learn about nature, including using imaging and audio techniques in particular, we are able to connect to and relate to nature in a way many of us had clearly failed to do beforehand. Think about coronavirus – you know what it looks like and can therefore get a sense of scale and understanding of it because a scientist imaged it using SEM, and then digital artists expanded on those images. See here:
Humans are visual animals. Art and photography have enabled us to connect with nature in exactly the same way. I will defend the sciences of imaging and audio science because this is how much it can make a difference to the natural world, along with hugely advancing diagnoses and treatments, and scientific understanding in general. Attenborough’s films themselves are a testament to that. Wildlife photography and film is a testament to that. Imaging technology is fundamental to learning and science, and it seems also instrumental to convincing us visual humans to preserve the natural world.
Additionally, watch the documentary as it was very good!
Peer reviewed study shows non-lethal deterrents effectively protect livestock from wolf predation
The science is there. Will governments and hunters pay any attention to it?
100s of dolphins tortured in Japan in alarming Facebook Live stream
And so the vile, arrogant brutal atrocities in the cove in Taiji, Japan continue, year after year, while the world remains blissfully ignorant of the evil these men do for six months of every year to migrating cetaceans unfortunate enough to swim past this little cove off the southern peninsula of Japan. Money is made, greed is satiated, murderous killing occurs and the world’s precious wildlife is decimated by Japan. When will this be called out and stopped as the heinous, greedy, short-sighted, violent, cruel and unacceptable activity that it is?
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/100s-of-dolphins-tortured-in-japan-in-alarming-facebook-live-stream-713359
Dolphins escape from Taiji facility in Japan – BBC News
It’s so tragic that these animals are so traumatised and conditioned to rely on handouts for resources that they gain their freedom after someone cut the nets and they don’t know what to do with it. Awful breaking of a wild animal’s autonomous, free spirit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38515187
The Toll of Dolphins Under Siege in Taiji | The Huffington Post
Thanks to Huff Post for sharing the plight of Taiji dolphins with its readers. It’s actually six months of every year that the Japanese fishermen commit these heinous crimes against nature and allow greed and ignorance to rule the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. Half of every year they slaughter dolphins. It should be absolutely illegal to do what they do but instead they get rich from selling those they spare from the butcher’s knife to marine amusement parks around the world.
Don’t visit dolphin shows. Your ticket funds this massacre in Japan every year. Supply and demand; stop demanding dolphins entertain us, they’ll stop taking them for captivity and killing the rest.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_586d520be4b068764965c601?timestamp=1483650102083
Wolf trapping – A diary of moving from East London to Montana
A fascinating read. I will never, ever understand hunters of any kind. Their logic and ethics are utterly skewed.
“But I learn that Jim Posewitz is that uniquely Western American who has made it his life’s work to improve ‘the image of hunting with an emphasis on fair chase ethics’ and has focused ‘on putting hunters at the forefront of our nation’s conservation ethic.’ He’s exactly the sort of person I find impossible to understand. Is it just semantics? When he talks of conservation, does he mean the conservation of a way of life based on when the trapper ruled and the West was won by guys who slept under the stars dreaming of the dead wolves at their feet the next morning? As Rick Bass says about hunters in his book The Ninemile Wolves, ‘there’s nothing harder to stereotype than a “hunter”.’ I would add that this is also true of trappers: they claim to love the wilderness, they call themselves sportsmen, outdoorsmen, and yet they are happy inflicting pain on animals in return for the price of their fur. Most hunters eat their prey, whereas trappers do it for money.”
Vets are denied access to abattoir footage | | The Times & The Sunday Times
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/vets-denied-access-to-abattoir-footage-hc7z27qmk
“More than 30 slaughterhouses are refusing to let official vets view CCTV footage of animals being killed, prompting concerns that they are hiding illegal acts of cruelty.”
Why? It does not take a genius to work this out. And what are “illegal acts of cruelty” anyway, in contrast to legal acts of cruelty? Vivisectionists commit legal acts of cruelty as a matter of course. Why are we as a species still perpetuating this abominable treatment of other animals every single minute of every single day? Don’t be a part of it. It’s not logical, it’s not ethical, it’s not ok.
Animal intelligence has been widely underestimated, says primatologist Frans de Waal – The Washington Post
I spent many of my formative years feeling confused and frustrated at the way most humans appeared to categorise all other animals as “dumb”. They somehow use this assumed lesser or non-existent intellect to justify using and abusing other species (think: farm animals, think: lab animals). I still feel confused and frustrated; but this article and new research gives us hope that we can finally comprehend some of the understanding, awareness and ‘intelligence’ of other animals, and then learn to respect and honour it.
I cringe at how much laboratory animals must suffer at our violent, arrogant hands.
Dragon Mother 
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