Shark finning in Belgium
Hondshaai in de vismijn van Oostende. © Helga D’Havé
Several shark species are endangered. According to scientists approximately 73 million sharks are yearly culled to sustain the increasing demand for shark fins by Asian markets. Shark fin soup is a very expensive Chinese delicacy, something fishermen are aware of. The demand for fins led to the practice of shark finning, where the fins are being cut off at sea while the rest of the shark body is thrown back into the water. Since 2003 shark finning is prohibited by a European law, but the law contains loop holes. In Belgium yearly 500 ton sharks are being caught. Even Belgian fishermen are not afraid of shark finning. In our article we describe a case of shark finning, where a Belgian fishing vessel was caught on sea with two fins of a basking shark in the ship’s freezer.
The article (in Dutch only) was published in EOS magazine nr. 2 (February 2011) and is available for download (pdf).
PART II of the interview with Marc Bekoff: ‘More compassion for animals feeds into more compassion for people.’
This is the second part of the interview with Marc Bekoff, vegan and professor emeritus Ecology and Evolutionairy Biology from the University of Colorado.
INTERVIEW – PART I:
Most people attribute emotions to their companion animals, but not to chickens, pigs, cows or other non-companion animals. We treat the animals we eat different than our pets. Biologist Dr. Marc Bekoff is hopeful and makes a call for a more compassionate world where people treat one another and animals better.
PART I of the interview with Marc Bekoff: ‘Animals have emotions and morality’
It took some time, but finally it is online: the first part of the interview with Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus Ecology and Evolutionairy Biology from the University of Colorado, and specialized in the social behaviour and emotional lives of animals. As a bonus there is a video, with many thanks to Robin Van Nuffel!
The interview has been published in the science magazine EOS (in Dutch) and can be downloaded here.
The second part of the interview ”More compassion for animals feeds into more compassion for people’ will be published online soon.
Preview video of the interview with ethologist Marc Bekoff
This short video is a teaser for the interview with American ethologist dr. Marc Bekoff.
The first part of the interview will appear soon on my website (in English) and in the science magazine Eos (Dutch only). I talked to Bekoff about emotions, morality, intelligence, consciousness, pain and tool use in animals. Bekoff strongly believes in Darwin’s concept of evolutionary continuity where differences between species are differences in degree and not in kind. This means that if we have a certain characteristic – for example empathy or pain – animals have it too, but in a different degree.
The second part of the interview will appear later on my website. In part two Bekoff addresses the artificial dichotomy between men and the other animals, ‘whom’ we eat, how we treat animals and vegetarianism. Bekoff concludes by sharing the biggest change he believes the world needs right now and how we can help to bring about this change.
Pigeons are intelligent, a kid can see that
© Helga D'Havé. Young pigeons.
Pigeons are not stupid… I knew that since I was a kid. How could they otherwise find their way home to the pigeon house of my uncle after being released in a strange land they had never visited before? The intelligence of pigeons is now scientifically proven.
A short article on this (in Dutch) was published in Eos-magazine 4 (April 2009) and can be downloaded here. The English version follows below: Continue Reading »
Fish feel pain much like humans do
Image credit: Oktaviani Marvikasari
It seems obvious that it is an unpleasant experience for fish (or any other animal) to be caught on a hook or to die slowly from suffocation. Still, many scientists make a difference between an unpleasant experience and pain, that is for non-human animals but not for humans. The debate on whether fish feel stress and pain is still ongoing despite the mounting scientific evidence. In the debate it is often ignored that pain serves an evolutionary function: the pain experience is a necessary trait in order for animals to identify and escape from life threatening situations.
A short article on this (in Dutch) was published in Eos-magazine 7/8 (July-Aug. 2009) and can be downloaded here. The English version follows below:
The Cove and 11 facts on dolphin higher cognitive functioning
Image credit: Ramiro Espinoza
In 2003 I had a close encounter with a Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) along the shores of Peninsula Valdez, Argentina. I was impressed by the gentle way in which a whale glided along the boat; touching it smoothly and again not, saying hello in it’s own way. If I wouldn’t have been so stunned I could just have made contact with this intelligent and sensitive animal.
The intelligence of dolphins – and other cetaceans – has been well documented and is widely accepted in science. Cetaceans have large brains in relation to the size of their bodies. It is also known that Cetaceans are not only intelligent, but use tools, display a sense of self-awareness, have emotional responses, can master a symbolic language and coordinate social behaviour.
Comeback of the barn owl
© Wim Acke
Last June I accompanied a friend (thanks for the pic Wim!) to visit a barn owl nest at the attic of a former pigeon house in a small village in East-Flanders. We counted four barn owl young (and several small pigeons in the lower part of the house). Unfortunately, a few weeks later my friend told me only one small barn owl was left, but there were no remains of the three others, so they clearly hadn’t died there. Possibly the three young owl were stolen for pet-keeping. Unfortunately some selfish people think they need an owl at home. Barn owl populations have been thriving again in Belgium, but this story makes clear that new dangers are present..
The original Dutch version of the article can be read in Eos-magazine no. 9 (Oct. 2009) or downloaded here. The English version follows below:
In the seventies barn owls populations had dropped to their lowest numbers ever in history. At present and as a result of protection measures the barn owl is again an often sighted bird in the agricultural landscape. Continue Reading »
Invasion of the jellyfish
Image credit: Zando Escultura
In the water world jellyfish are the true poets. Moving in the water column with their shiny transparent bodies they seem to perform a graceful dance. But jellyfish can also injure and even kill humans when they swarm along beaches. It is important to know that these graceful sea creatures swarm in masses because we humans created the ideal conditions for jellyfish to multiply rapidly, by polluting the oceans…
The original Dutch version of the article can be read in Eos-magazine no. 2 (Febr. 2009) or downloaded here. The English version follows below:
Jellyfish and jellyfish like creatures inhabit our oceans since more than 500 million years. Only recently, since they have been known to swarm and thereby interfere with human activities, have these beautiful creatures caught the attention of scientists.
