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Home Page We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts. Animal Defenders of Westchester |
Events The New York Whale and Dolphin Action League Presents WHALES AND THE QUEST FOR SURVIVAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY Pace University-Pleasantville, Miller Lecture Hall Monday, April 24, 4:00 - 5:30 pm What is it about whales and dolphins that is so intriguing? Why are we
drawn to them, why are we so eager to watch and understand them? They live
in what is to us a cold and hostile ocean environment; our perception of the
hazards they face is dimmed by our physical intolerance of their habitat. We
can't travel with them, to see what they see and know what they know. Still
we wonder. Just what are whales facing in the 21st century? Are their perils
linked to human activity? If so, what can we do about it? Despite our fascination with these top of the food chain marine mammals,
we must confront a sobering truth: that today, paralleling the rate of
extinction in other habitats both on land and sea, many species and
populations of cetaceans are poised to disappear forever from the earth.
Close to home, there are less than 350 North Atlantic Right Whales
remaining, while there are fewer than 100 Western Pacific Gray Whales. (NOAA)
Things are even grimmer for many species of river dolphins, including the
famous Yangtzee or Chinese River dolphin, with just a few dozen left. (IUCN)
Notwithstanding these troubling numbers, whale watching has become big
business and a welcome economic boost to developing nations, and
understanding whale intelligence and behavior has never before seemed so
captivating. Still, tens of thousands of whales have been slaughtered since
the ban on commercial whaling was put in place by the International Whaling
Commission in the late 1980's. A host of other problems beset cetaceans
today, from acoustic pollution and oil production to the mindless disposal
of food packaging material, balloons and plastics in the marine environment.
The great whales: blue, sei, fin and sperm whales, are endangered, many
others like the playful humpback whales that entertain us on east coast
whale watch trips, are threatened or depleted. Public concern along with population statistics support efforts to
protect, and ways to achieve this are rooted in commitment and even
creativity. Solutions to huge problems are close at hand, but can we
implement these in time to save these wondrous leviathans, our oceanic
cousins? Join the New York Whale and Dolphin Action League for a discussion of the
survival of whales in the 21st century in Pleasantville, NY, at PACE
UNIVERSITY's Miller Lecture Hall, on Monday, April 24th, from 4:00 - 5:30. For more information contact us at
[email protected] or
914-793-9186. Taffy Lee Williams
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