Free Willy!!!

Nader referred to this in last week's class, yet, I HAVE some thoughts about Tilikum the Killer Whale.

Veganism is more than just not eating animal products; and there are many reasons as to why people take up veganism, ranging from ethical concerns for the welfare of animals to health reasons. Count me on the first group.

Yes, veganism keeps me healthier (though I smoke one or two a day and drink too much diet soda), but I became vegan primarily due to ethical concerns. At this point, however, the image of chewing meat grosses me out...but I try not to judge others if they want to feed on innocent beings.

As a matter of fact, I think that even if I die a vegan at 100 I would have eaten more meat than most people on this earth will ever eat. That extreme was I with my meat eating habit. But I digress.

I have always been of two minds regarding zoos since becoming a vegan. I understand the need to study animals and their behaviors, especially given the excellent job we are doing destroying their natural habitats. I also see zoos as an excellent tool in making people more sympathetic to animals. I guess that once you look a gorilla in the eye, something radically changes deep inside you. And that is a good thing.

Yet, I have also seen my fair share of abuse in zoos (zoo visits in Quebec and Puerto Rico come to mind). I have seen MAD polar bears and hyenas. Animals banging their heads against their cages, with crusty blood in their furs, walking back and forth non-stop. This was BEFORE I was vegan, and it broke my heart. To break an animal's spirit to the point that you can recognize madness is a pretty sad and demeaning sight.

Which brings me to the killer whale.

What the fuck are we thinking? Do we think we can get away with breaking an animal's spirit and not have it push back at us with lethal force? This whale has so far killed 3 human beings! The killer whale in question, Tilikum, has been described as 'difficult, depressed and usually temperamental'. Surprise! Take a 12 thousand pound whale, cage her in a pool, and force her to dance and splash and jump to entertain a bunch of suburban bratty kids....wouldn't any being be depressed and difficult as hell? If I were that whale I would have exercised my second amendment rights with full force. I would be wearing an NRA badge. They would have to call me Rambo the crazy ass blood-lust whale.

I know that the world is not going to turn vegan any time soon, but is it too much to ask for some good ol' common sense? These are known as KILLER whales! They are very beautiful and cute, yes. And so? It reminds me of Herzog's Grizzly Man. Those bears ARE cute as hell, ohh so chubby, ohhh so furry! And they munched this good-intentioned guy alive. At one point in the movie they interview an Inuit (?) and the guy much or less says 'my people have been running away from grizzlies for 7 thousand years, because those damned bears are violent and can get nasty! and here comes this guy who thought he could share a bed with 'em coz they are cute and furry; if you ask me he got what he was looking for!' I agree.

Don't get me wrong. I feel truly sorry for the trainer that got killed by the whale, for reals. But, there is also a part of me that is whispering a big 'yes!!!! there you go killer whale! do your thing! Be the best killer whale you can be!'

Leave the animals alone. Don't abuse them. Don't use them for entertainment. Treat them with respect. They are not here to serve us. And if possible, don't eat them or turn them into bags, jackets and/or belts.