Last week someone said to me that Orca's are often mislabeled as killer whales. She went on to say that "they are not Killer Whales they are Orcas." They are referred to as killer whales because they are indeed killers. They are an apex predator, the only known predator (other than humans) to be able to hunt and kill Blue Whales. Weighing in at over 200 tons, Blue Whales are the largest known creatures ever to have lived on earth. Any animal that can hunt and kill a 100 foot, 160 ton whale is definitely a killer. That's a great example of how the "animal rights crowd" knows very little about animals.
Just a quick search of wikipedia (which only takes about 15 seconds to do) reveals although scientists frequently refer to them as Killer Whales, their actual scientific name is Orcinus orca, which is why some people call the whale an Orca. Wikipedia further reveals Orcinus means "of the kingdom of the dead" or or "belonging to Orcus. Orcus was a god of the underworld, punisher of broken oaths.
Killer Whale, Kingdom of the dead, belonging to a god of the underworld... It doesn't really matter what you choose to call the animal, what matters is that twisted logic is what is being used to justify people's attempt to legislate away our ability to legally hunt, or even own animals. Now I certainly don't believe one person's ignorance of Killer Whales indicts an entire group of animal rights activists, my point is, that is a good example of how that group of people are very ignorant about where we've come from, about how animals fit into the earths natural cycle, how people fit into that natural cycle, and about how hunting is practiced and how hunting and wildlife populations are managed. It's just one case of many where animal rights activists/groups have demonstrated how ignorant they are of the facts.
For those of you who still don't believe Orcas are amazing hunters, check out this video... It's amazing what skilled hunters they are... Even more amazing is the way they teach each other. Incredible!!
Here are the facts:
1. Humans are animals. Smarter, more resourceful, sometimes better, often worse than other animals, we are simply animals that have developed the means to reason and to cooperate with each other. Just as apes, dolphins, and humpback whales are learning now, we have figured out that we can do much better if we cooperate with each other instead of directly competing with each other for resources. For Dolphins, that cooperation has made it easier to catch fish to eat. For us, that cooperation has lead to societies that build amazing machinery, navigate the oceans, and travel to the moon.
That cooperation has lead to many of us having lives so privileged, that we have become completely out of touch with our food sources. In fact, many of us don't even eat meat anymore. If you're one of those people who've chosen not to eat meat, more power to you. No one should ever try to persuade you to eat something you don't want to, no matter what your reasons are for not eating it. But for you to suggest that we shouldn't be eating meat because you claim it's immoral, and to deny the history of evolution of your specie in order to rationalize why you should be trying to persuade or legislate me from away from eating meat reveals how ignorant you really are.
2. Humans are animals that eat meat. While it's true you may have chosen not to eat meat, it's undeniable that we have evolved as facultative carnivores.
3. Humans have adversely impacted our environment on earth in a way that has upset the natural balance that had formed/existed prior to our impacting it. Having removed almost all of the apex predators from the ecosystem, we have forced ourselves into a position where we must manage the wildlife populations, or risk losing many of them. The California Department of Fish and Game has done a great job of managing wildlife, and while there is always lots of room to provide them criticism, and while we (hunters in California) don't always agree with every decision they make, we all acknowledge they are doing a very important job, they have the right priorities, and they are doing the best they can. What more can you ask of someone assigned to manage resources?
4. Including ethical hunting as part of a sound wildlife management plan is not only absolutely necessary, it finances that management plan, and it also finances wildlife and habitat conservation through self imposed license fees, and taxes on things hunters buy to use while hunting (weapons, ammo, decoys, etc).
There is no unity or consistency among the animal right crowd. They range from the seemingly well intentioned to the absolutely insane. One common theme that frequently reappears in their rhetoric is the term "natural rights". Well what does that mean?
Typically, the term natural rights is usually meant to imply "god given rights", as if there is some higher power who has granted us these rights, and they are not the privilege of any government to decide to grant or deny. The concept of natural rights is just as faulty as the concept of god. In reality, all rights are a result of the social contract we make with each other when we become apart of or participate in civil society.
Animals, not having the capacity to reason, negotiate, or consent, are correctly regarded by the law as property. People and institutions (governments, business, and NGO's) have rights with respect to property, but property doesn't and shouldn't have any rights assigned to it.
Our rights are totally dependent on constructs of our society to protect them, otherwise they are worthless. Without the enforcement mechanisms of the society we live in, we begin to enforce our own rights as we see them individually, and we begin to devolve into the "might is right" world we came from; The same world the rest of the animals live in.
My wife and I own a wonderful dog that we love tremendously. I personally procure as much of the meat my family consumes as I can. I hunt to procure food, and I really enjoy it. In the future, I plan to hunt more, and I also plan to begin raising rabbits and chickens for my family to consume.
"There is no right to life... Life must be lived and earned..."
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