I. Ethicial Issues involving the conservation of Wildlife management
We begin this module by exploring some of the different underlying values that direct
conservation policy, and explain how they can create ethical dilemmas and disagreements.
"Expanding human demands on land, sea and fresh water, along with the impacts of climate
change, have made the conservation and management of wild areas and wild animals a top
priority. But there are many different reasons for thinking that such conservation is important,
and these reasons can shape conservation policies in different ways."
Gamborg, C., Palmer, C. & Sandoe, P. (2012) Ethics of Wildlife Management and Conservation: What
Should We Try to Protect? Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):8
What value does wildlife have and what are our roles as stewards of their
environment?
#1“Ethics of Wildlife Management and Conservation: What Should We Try to Protect?”
http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/ethics-of-wildlife-management-and-
conservation-what-80060473
Ethics of Wildlife Management and Conservation: What should we try to protect?
1. Environmental ethicists use what term to describe the usefulness of wildlife?
Instrumental value
2. What are some of the historic uses (critical resources) that wild animal provided for
human survival?
Historically, food, fur, and leather
Study Guide for Ethical and Policy Issues Involving natural Resource Management and
ethical treatment of animals
3. More recently, wildlife has assumed high economic and cultural significance by
providing what?
entertainment in circuses, zoos, and wildlife parks, they form a central attraction in
international tourism, and they are key members of ecosystems on which humans rely for
vital services.
4. What threats do wildlife pose for humans today?
they can be sources of new human diseases (zoonotics), and they can damage or consume
human crops.
5. What do environmental ethicists mean when they refer to instrumental value of wildlife?
whether as resource or threat, is how useful — or otherwise —
wildlife is to human beings.
6. What are four concerns with regard to modern debates about wildlife?
One focus is on animal welfare — the wellbeing of individual wild animals (e.g., in terms of
animals' flourishing, or suffering). There are also concerns about protecting species or
populations of wild animals, about protecting the ecosystems of which wild animals form a
part, and about protecting wild nature itself (Sandøe & Christiansen 2008). The wellbeing of
individual animals matters less where species, ecosystems, or wild nature is emphasized
Developments in the Use and Management of Wild Animals
1. What were two prevailing attitudes (Judeo-Christian) with regard to wildlife?
complex and ambivalent
2. The idea of the purity, beauty, and special significance of wild places served to underpin
the foundation of the US National Parks system. True or False?
TRUE
3. When was the US Wilderness Act established?
1964
Values at Stake in wildlife management
4. What is the difference between "wise use" and preservation?
The wise use approach aims to accommodate humanity's
continuous use of wild nature as a resource for food, timber, and
other raw materials, as well as for recreation. The idea of wise
use appeals to our own best interests, or to the interests of
humans over time, including future people (this approach is often
called "sustainable use"). The goal of management is to enhance
and maintain nature's yield as a valuable resource for human
beings.
For the preservationist, on the other hand, the goal is to protect
pristine nature, not to use it, carefully or otherwise.
5. Can humans utilize land set aside as "wilderness"? (from the preservationist view point)
from a preservationist perspective, wild places should be allowed to develop on their own
with as little interference from humans as possible.
Underlying Ethical Approaches to Wild Animals: Five Perspectives
1. #1 Contractarian perspective: What is the main ethical constraint on wildlife
management?
To make sure that wildlife is used wisely, for human benefit, in ways
that humans can agree to.
2. #2 Utilitarian perspective:
3. What is consequentialism?
an ethical theory based on the idea that we should aim to bring
about the best outcome overall, taking into account everyone
affected by the decision.
4. What is the primary value for utilitarianism?
defined either in terms of pleasure or in terms of preference or desire satisfaction
5. Is sport hunting morally acceptable for a utilitarian? Why or why not?
unacceptable for a utilitarian, as it is likely to cause animal pain without producing
comparable benefits to humans.
6. #3 Animal rights perspective: Philosopher Tom Regan mains (1983) maintained that
human and certain other animals share critical similarities. What are these similiarities?
being able to feel pain and having desires about their future
7. A wildlife policy determined by an animal rights perspective would direct us to do what
with wild animals?
direct us just to leave wild animals alone
8. #4 Respect for nature perspective: the moral importance of individual animals depends on
what?
how far they promote or threaten the key environmental values at stake.
9. From a nature perspective's view, members of keystone species in an ecosystem will be
particularly important while members of an invasive species should be removed or killed.
True or False?
TRUE
10. #5 Contextual (relational) view: why does this perspective view wild and domesticated
animals differently?
because humans are responsible for the very existence of domestic animals (unlike wild
ones), and, additionally, through selective breeding, for their natures — and because this
often renders the relevant animals dependent and vulnerable in ways wild animals are
not.
11. Hybrid views: according to philosopher Bryan Norton, when can we justify the sacrifice
for an individual wild animal?
we should respect the struggle of wild animals to perpetuate their kind, as well as to protect
their own lives. Respect for this struggle may permit us to sacrifice the interests of the
individual wild animal for the good of the animal population.
12. In Conclusion: Balancing Concerns: According to the article, policy will be determined
by what?
The way in which these different values are prioritized
#2 What is "The Precautionary Principle"?
"When an activity raises threats of harm to the environment or human health, precautionary
measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established
scientifically…"
http://www.sehn.org/ppfaqs.html
1. How has the Food d Drug Administration, The Food Quality and Protection Act and
the National Environmental Policy Act implemented the Precautionary Principle?
As a precautionary measure, the Food and Drug Administration requires all
new drugs to be tested before they are put on the market.
The Food Quality and Protection Act of 1996 requires pesticides to be
proven safe for children or removed. Several are being phased out.
The National Environmental Policy Act is precautionary in two ways: 1) It
emphasizes foresight and attention to consequences by requiring an
environmental impact assessment for any federally funded project, and 2) it
mandates consideration of alternative plans. NEPA is one of the best
national examples of precautionary action.
2. How has Verizon Wireless implemented the precautionary principle?
sent a brochure in July 2001 to its US cell-phone customers describing the
potential harm to children from radio frequencies emitted by cell phones. Verizon
suggested that parents adopt the precautionary principle and limit children's use
of cell phones.
"In a world where words like sustainability are used in many contexts with widely varying
meanings, we forget that the environmental community was once very choosy in its wording.
Terms have specific meanings such that a single word can communicate a philosophy and
accompanying ethics. Conservation and preservation are two such terms"
Dr. Amy Frietag. R Associate
V Sea Grant and NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
#2. Wording Matters: Conservation verses preservation
http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=11746
1. The preservation movement was initiated by the founder of the Sierra club. Who was this
individual?
by John Muir
2. Who took the photos of Yosemite which helped claim this region as the iconic American
frontier?
Photos by Ansel Adams
3. The National Park system was founded under a preservation land management
perspective. True or False?
TRUE
4. The Wilderness act of 1964 defined wilderness as an area where the earth and its
community of life are ___________________ by man. Man himself is a
___________who does not remain.
Untrammeled a visitor
5. According to the Wilderness Act of 1964, an area of wilderness has at least _________
acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an
unimpaired condition.
has at least five thousand acres of land or is of
sufficient size
6. According to the article, what are four benefits of wilderness?
breeding grounds and nursery habitat, a research site to
study ecology (somewhat) unaffected by humans,
recreation, biodiversity and rare species protection, and as
a source of population of wild animals for other spaces.
7. Gifford Pinchot codified a land ethic in which humans and nature could what?
humans and nature could happily co-exist
8. What is the Forest Service's short mission statement?
“caring for the land and serving people”
9. What are the differences in philosophy regarding the National Park service (wildlife
preservation) and the National Forest Service (wildlife conservation?)
to provide spaces reserved solely for wildlife, protecting them at
vulnerable life stages and providing a refuge free of human
influence. But conservation is also necessary to connect humans to
their environment through education and cover the wide tracts of
land necessary to be stewarded to provide for both humans and
nature.
Sustainably managing common natural resources, such as fisheries, water, and forests, is
essential for human and wildlife long-term survival.
Are we ethical in our approach? Should the US encourage implementation of our
philosophical beliefs regarding wildlife and other natural resource management on other
countries around the world?
II. Policy issues invovling Environmental Management:
Private, communal or government control of land?
#1 Cooperation of the Commons ( this article may be accessed by going to blackboard under
content, "Module 4, articles")
1. According to the article, do humans universally maximize short-term self-benefits with
regard to management of common natural resources?
NO, Instead, a basic finding is that humans do not universally
maximize short-term self-benefits, and can cooperate to produce
shared, long-term benefits
2. Why would humans want to cooperate in management of resources?
3. What is the relationship between status or level of prestige of the clan leader and degree
of cooperation for management of forests?
the share of conditional cooperators in a group is affected by clan
affiliation and the leader, who needs to have sufficient prestige to
change the norms of the group.
4. Define the term "free riders". How does this group affect cooperation levels with regard
to land management?
If a group is composed of a substantial number of free riders,
however, cooperation levels fall over time.
5. What factors affect likelihood of investment in forest patrols aimed at enforcing firewood
collection rules?
were more likely to invest in forest patrols aimed at enforcing
firewood collec- tion rules—and had more productive forests.
They also show that other factors, including a group’s distance to
markets and the quality of its leadership, influenced the success
of coop- erative management.
video #1 : Tragedy of the commons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RE9PMwwaFc (6 minutes)
1. What are the alternatives to open access resources?
2. Open access resources suffer from what problems?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_6-H4zWTW8 (John Stossel; 1st 15
minutes)
1. What is the incentive for stewardship and hard work? In other words,
do people work harder to take care of things when they are
publicly (communal property) or privately owned?
2. What activities are cited as evidence of "The Tragedy of the
Commons"?
3. How did trophy hunting effect elephant populations in Africa?
4. Do you feel the reporting or information you received was unbiased?
Why or why not?
Video #2 :”Who should govern nature?”Communal ownership vs. government
ownership: A Brief Look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT99LqJaTeI (6 minutes)
1. According to the video, who should be in charge of natural resources and the
environment: The people or the government? Why?
2. What happens when policy makers assume that "the tragedy of the commons"
and "the Prisoner's Dilemma" is true?
3. Management of natural resources needs to be made valuable to what group of
people (in order to be successful)?
4. Nepal's government take-over of private land in 1957 suggests that private
ownership increases cooperation with regard to land management of land.
True or false?
Video #3: Land care in the Philippines : World Agro Forestry Centre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZAhA0J7iUQ(12 minutes)
1. What were the major goals of the Claveria Land care Association?
2. Who was responsible for the formation of the Claveria Land care
Association?
3. Who are the members of the Claveria Land care Association?
4. Does the video portray successful land management on the part of this
association?
III. Cooperating and managing our resources effectively:
What effect does Greenwashing have on public opinion ?
Today many manufacturers are again revisiting the value of promoting their products, or even
themselves, as being green to attract a growing environmentally aware segment of the
population…
#1: Greenwashing in the new millennium ( this article may be accessed by going to blackboard
under content, "Module 4, articles")
1. Who developed the Greenwashing index and what is it used for?
2. Where can consumers go in order to post ads deemed to be misleading? Do
you feel this is fair to the manufacturer? Why or why not?
3. What companies have been identified as utilizing Greenwashing campaigns?
Have any companies made a change in their ad campaigns since being
identified?
4. What would cause consumers to become suspicious of green advertising
claims?
Video #1: Sins of Greenwashing - Good morning America ( 5 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6IF99TiZzk
1. Confusing claims (or "Greenwashing") may consist of what tactics or activities
on the part of the manufacturer?
2. Do you feel the news segment reported Greenwashing in an accurate
unbiased manner? Why or why not?
Video #2: The story of Bottled Water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0
1. What type of water was found to be more "regulated": Bottled or Tap?
2. In taste tests across the nation, people consistently picked what type: Bottled
or tap?
3. If the plastic in bottled water is so bad for our environment, how do bottled
water companies get people to buy their product?
4. What popular soda companies are involved in bottled water and where does
their water come from?
IV. Ethical Issues related to animal rights and Animal Welfare
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/
"Wild animals have always been a critical resource for human beings. Historically, food, fur, and
leather were key to human survival — more recently, wildlife has assumed high economic and
cultural significance. Wild animals provide entertainment in circuses, zoos, and wildlife parks,
they form a central attraction in international tourism, and they are key members of ecosystems
on which humans rely for vital services. Equally, wild animals can be seen as threatening to
human beings; for instance, they can be sources of new human diseases (zoonotics), and they
can damage or consume human crops..".
Christian Gamborg (University of Copenhagen, Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning), Clare
Palmer (Texas A&M University, Philosophy Department) & Peter Sandoe (University of Copenhagen, Danish
Centre for Bioethics and Risk Assessment) © 2012 Nature Education
Animal ethics is a complex subject. Rational argument about the right and wrong way to treat
animals is made more difficult by the deep love that many of us feel for animals.
For philosophers it raises fundamental questions about the basis of moral rights.
1. Introduction to animal ethics:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/overview/introduction.shtml
1) what statement regarding animal ethics can people on both sides agree on?
H animals have a moral status and there ar right and wrong ways of tr them.
2) The most difficult part of animal rights and welfare for human beings has been
summed up by Colin McGinn: what does he say?
are not defined by their r to us. Most , af all, have lived out their
in sublime indifference to the habits of those odd chattering bipeds with the
plumage. Even if we had never existed, they would still be her . W just as
to them as they are to us.
3) What are the main controversies in animal ethics?
2. Experiments on animals
3. Rearing and killing animals for food
4. Rearing and killing animals for fur/leather goods
5. Hunting
6. Entertainment
7. Zoos
8. Pet-keeping
1) Animal ethics has nothing to do with a sentimental love for animals. True or
false?
TRUE
2) What are the philosophical issues related to animal rights?
oWhy do non-human animals deserve protection?
oDo non-human animals have rights?
oIf they do have rights, why do they have rights?
oIf they do have rights, what does this mean for
humanity?
oWhich non-human animals have rights?
oWhat's the difference between 'animal rights' and
'animal welfare'?
oIf non-human animals don't have rights, do they
deserve protection anyway?
oHow should we balance the relative interests of
human and non-human animals?
The morality of direct action to protect non-human
animals
9. Introduction to animal rights:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/introduction.shtml
1) Animal welfare supporters believe that it can be morally acceptable for human
beings to use or exploit animals, as long as: the suffering of the animals is
either eliminated or reduced to the minimum and there is no practicable way
of achieving the same end without using animals. True or false?
TRUE
2) Supporters of animal rights don't think that doing wrong things humanely
makes them any less wrong. True or false?
FALSE
3) Accepting that non-human animals have rights restricts human beings, and
may even cause people to die who might otherwise have lived. True or false?
TRUE
10. Possible moral positions: with regard to animal rights OR animal welfare
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/positions_1.shtml
1) According to the "Full animal rights position" It is wrong for human beings to
use animals for food, clothing, experiment or anything else. True or false?
TRUE
2) Those that feel animals should have some rights believe under some
circumstances it is acceptable to exploit or use animals, as long as we ensure
that the animals are treated humanely in the process. True or false?
TRUE
3) According to the "animals should have some rights" position, Endangered
species have more right not to be killed than members of other species. True
or false?
TRUE
4) The human- centred position on animals rights states that animals can be
treated in any way that humans want to treat them. True or false?
TRUE
11. The ethics of speciesism:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/speciesism.shtml
1) 'Speciesism' is the idea that being human is a good enough reason for human
animals to have greater moral rights than non-human animals. True or false?
TRUE
2) Supporters of speciesism say that there is a clear difference between humans
and other species, and that this difference affects their moral status. True or
false?
TRUE
3) One argument in favour of speciesism is that it is biologically natural to treat
one's own species favourably. Virtually all non-human animals treat members
of their own species better than those of other species. True or false?
TRUE
12. Animals as pets: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/pets.shtml
1) inappropriate treatment for pets would include not spending enough time with
the animal True or false?
TRUE
2) Tail docking is illegal in the UK under the 2007 Animal Welfare Act (except
for working dogs) True or false?
TRUE
3) According to inappropriate use for animals, domesticated animals bred for
fighting should not be kept. True or false?
TRUE
1. Animals as food: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/eating_1.shtml
1) According to the consequentialist (utilitarian) view everyone should be a
vegetarian. True or false
TRUE
2. Hunting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/hunting_1.shtml
1) Describe four examples where animal ethics and environmental ethics clash:
Hunting may be necessary to preserve the health or integrity of an
ecosystem by controlling animal populations
Animal rights endanger biodiversity, because they prevent breeding
endangered species in captivity
Animal rights prevent the reintroduction of locally extinct predators to
restore an ecosystem
A ban on hunting prevents human beings hunting down animal predators
even to protect prey animals
2) What are the three types of hunting?
Therapeutic hunting:
Subsistence hunting:
Sport hunting:
3. Biotechnology: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/biotechnology_1.shtml
1) With regard to animal welfare, What are two benefits of biotechnology ?
Improving resistance to disease
Breeding to remove characteristics that cause injury
2) With regard to animal welfare, how might biotechnology be bad ?
Modern pigs have been bred to grow extra fast - some breeds now grow
too fast for their hearts, causing discomfort when animals are too active
Broiler chickens are bred to grow fast - some now grow too fast for their
legs
3) In order to regulate genetic engineering, Bernard Rollin suggests what ?
G engineered animals should be no worse off than the par stock w be if
were not so engin .
4) What are the ethical issues related to transgenic organisms?
Are animals that combine species an unethical alteration of
the natural order of the universe?
Is it unethical to modify an animal's genetic make-up for a
specific purpose, without knowing in advance if there will be
any side-effects that will cause suffering to the animal?
Does 'creating' animals by genetic engineering amount to
treat the animals entirely as commodities?
Is it unethical to create 'diseased' animals that are very
likely to suffer?
5) What are the arguments in favor or transgenic organisms?
As human beings have been given 'dominion' over the animals, they are
entitled to tamper with them.
Palaeontology shows that the structure of creation has changed over
time as some species became extinct and new ones came into being.
They say that this shows that there is nothing fixed about the structure
of creation.
Animals for entertainment:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/entertainment_1.shtml
6) If animals have rights, why is it wrong to keep animals in zoos?
it treats the animal as a means to achieve some human end
it fails to treat animals with the respect they deserve
it violates the animal's right to live in freedom
7) What are the Reasons why people think keeping animals in zoos is bad for
their welfare?
the animal is deprived of its natural habitat
the animal may not have enough room
the animal is deprived of its natural social structure and
companionship
the animal is forced into close proximity with other species
and human beings which may be unnatural for it
the animal may become bored, depressed and
institutionalised
animals bred in zoos may become imprinted on human
beings rather than members of their own species - this
prevents them fully experiencing their true identity
although animals may live longer lives in zoos than in the
wild, they may experience a lower quality of life
8) Circuses: According to animal rights supporters, The use of animals to
entertain human beings is wrong . Why?
it treats the animal as a means to achieve some human end
it fails to treat animals with the respect they deserve
it violates the animal's right to live in freedom
4. Experimenting on animals:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/experiments_1.shtml
Animal rights advocates are pressing government agencies to impose heavy
restrictions on animal research. But this growing criticism of painful experimentation
on animals is matched by a growing concern over the threat restrictions on the use of
animals would pose to scientific progress. Whether such experiments should be
allowed to continue has become a matter for public debate.
1) The three Rs are a set of principles that scientists are encouraged to follow in
order to reduce the impact of research on animals. What are they?
Reduction:
Refinement:
Replacement:
2) According to Peter Singer, we can cut out a lot of philosophising about animal
experiments by using what test?
... experimenters claim that their e are important enough to justify the
of animals, we should ask them whether they would be pr to use a brain-
human being at a similar mental level to the animals they are planning to use.
5. Cures and Creatures Great and Small
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n3/cures.html
1) animal welfare activists defend their position by countering the claim that
halting painful animal experiments would put an end to scientific progress,
with harmful consequences to society. Much animal experimentation, they
say, is performed out of mere curiosity and has little or no scientific merit.
True or false?
TRUE
2) Those who argue for the continuation of painful experimentation on animals
state that society has an obligation to act in ways that will minimize harm and
maximize benefits. Halting or curtailing painful experimentation on animals
would have harmful consequences to society True or false?
TRUE
6. Animal welfare legislation (United Kingdom):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/defending/legislation_1.shtml
1) The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to implement laws
protecting animals. True or false?
TRUE
7. Animal welfare legislation (US)
http://awic.nal.usda.gov/zoo-circus-and-marine-animals
1) Zoos, circuses, and marine mammal parks are regulated under the Animal
Welfare Act . Its regulations are inspected for compliance on a regular basis.
Wildlife is not regulated unless exhibited to the public or used in research or
teaching. True or false?
2) The United States Department of Agriculture is responsible for drawing up the
guidelines for the Animal Welfare Act. True or false?
3) In the United States, the animal welfare law was signed into legislation on
what date?
1986
Philosophizing about Speciesisim
When we give someone moral consideration, it simply means we take into account how they
will be affected by our actions and omissions, attitudes and decisions. Moral consideration
need not apply only to sentient (conscious) creatures. Some people give moral consideration
to things such as ecosystems or species, though generally moral consideration is only given
to conscious beings. We can, and do, give greater or lesser moral consideration to some
beings than others.
1. Speciesisim : http://www.animal-ethics.org/speciesism/
1) What is Speciesisim?
discrimination against certain human beings based on their sex, skin color, sexual preference,
and for many other reasons.
2) Even when animals are not exploited, they are still discriminated against
because they are what?
because they are not taken into serious consideration.
3) Even though it’s considered a good thing to help humans who need help,
when a nonhuman animal needs help they are often left to their fate. This
happens in particular in the case of nonhuman animals living where?
This happens in particular in the case of nonhuman animals living in
nature.
4) A common form of speciesism that often goes unnoticed is the discrimination
against very small animals. We have a tendency to think that smaller animals
are less what?
In general, we have a psychological disposition to care less about
small animals. Many people consider a horse much more deserving
of consideration than, for example, a mouse, simply because of their
relative sizes
5) When it comes to respecting others, what we should take into account?
take into account is their capacity to have positive and negative
experiences, such as enjoyment, satisfaction, and suffering.
2. Arguments against speciesisim : http://www.animal-ethics.org/arguments-
speciesism/
6) What are four claims that defend favoring humans over other animals, and
thus treat nonhumans disadvantageously?
By simply stating that we should act that way without
presenting any argument to back up that view.1
By claiming that humans are in a superior position for reasons
that cannot be corroborated in any way.2
By claiming that humans have certain special capacities that
we can verify nonhumans don’t have.3
By claiming that humans have certain special relations with
each other that we can verify we don’t have with nonhumans.
3. The argument from species overlap: http://www.animal-ethics.org/argument-
species-overlap/
7) there are different ways disregard for nonhuman animals has been defended.
One way is by claiming that we don’t have to fully respect nonhuman animals
because they don’t have certain capacities. What are these capacities?
(1) It’s justified to treat those with greater intellectual
capacities better than those with lesser intellectual
capacities.
(2) Human beings have different intellectual
capacities.
(3) Human beings who have greater intellectual
capacities should be treated better than those who
have lesser intellectual capacities.
(3’) Human beings who have lesser intellectual
capacities should be treated worse than those who
have greater intellectual capacities.
4. The argument from relevance: http://www.animal-ethics.org/argument-relevance/
8) In order to be benefited and harmed, one must be what?
one must be sentient
5. The argument from impartiality http://www.animal-ethics.org/argument-
impartiality/
9) states that speciesism is incompatible with what?
fairness.
6. Argument from "Begging the Question" http://www.animal-ethics.org/begging-
the-question/
10) humans have a special quality or circumstance that makes them more what?
Deserving
V. Case Studies:
#1 Effective wildlife management : What role should Zoos and wildlife parks play?
#1 The Killer in the Pool
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nature/The-Killer-in-the-Pool.html
1) What movie inspired the birth of the Orca entertainment industry?
1966 movie Namu,
2) How long did Namu live in captivity?
30
3) How many Killer whales did Goldsberry (the Sea World Collector) catch in his during his
Orca collecting career?
caught 252
4) What year did the Marine protection act prohibit the taking of marine mammals in US
waters?
In 1972
5) Why did the state of Washington file a 3 against Goldsberry?
that Goldsberry and SeaWorld had violated permits that
required humane capture, and as the heat and publicity
built, SeaWorld agreed to release the Budd Inlet killer
whales and to stop taking orcas from Washington waters.
6) What was the average survival time of Orcas in SeaWorld when Tilikum arrived?
just shy of three and a half years.
7) Orca society is dominated by females, True or false?
TRUE
8) Sea World trainer provided Sealand with a hand book which read: "If you fail to provide
your animals with the excitement they need, you may be certain they will
___________" (fill in the blank
will create the excitement themselves.
9) Desensitation training is designed to teach Killer whales what?
that teaches the killer whales to stay calm and ignore
anyone who falls in.
10) Why did former trainer for Sealand Eric Walters write a letter to the Canadian Federation
of Humane Societies?
to share with participants at a conference on whales in
captivity.
11) According to Paul Spong, the director of Orca lab, what happens to humans (and Orcas)
when you impose an extreme level of sensory deprivation on them?
become mentally disturbed.
12) What year was the first trainer ever killed by an Orca at a marine park?
Bryan
13) According to Marine Biologist, Ken Balcomb, Orcas are highly social and live in pods of
how many animals?
family pods of 20 to 50 animals.
14) Male Orcas stay with their mothers for how long?
their entire lives and often die not long after she does.
15) How long do males typically live in the wild?
50 or 60 years
16) According to Goldberg,he was paid how much by Sea World to keep quiet about his
former career with them?
Goldsberry says he was offered $100,000
17) Why would Sea World be interested in Tilikum even though he was involved in a deadly
accident?
Cheap
18) Since the 1960s approximately how many trainers have been "worked over" by Orcas?
40 documented incidents
19) In 2007 a report was issued that warned of dangers swimming with Orcas. Who issued
this report?
OSHA
is that swimming with captive orcas is inherently dangerous
and if someone hasn't been killed already, it is only a matter
of time before it does happen.
20) How has Sea Worlds close contact with Killer whales over the years contributed to the
worlds knowledge of them?
The gestation of killer whales was never known to researchers in
the wild. It was always assumed it was like a dolphin, 12 months
21) What are trainers taught to do if they get grabbed?
taught to go limp if they are grabbed
22) What are some of the factors that might trigger an attack of a trainer by an Orca?
could be boredom, a desire to play, the pent-up frustration
of confinement, a rough night in the tank with the other
orcas, the pain of an ulcer, or maybe even hormonal
cycling.
23) Jean Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society, stated "Maybe we have
learned all we can from what?
from keeping them captive.
Video #1: Blackfish - Killer whales at SeaWorld Documentary Maker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_gk1sVAyhU (questions from first 10 minutes of
vidoe)
1) According to the video, trainers at SeaWorld misinformed the public and stated that
Killer whales lived longer in captivity than in the wild. True or false?
2) Dorsal collapse happens in less then 1% of killer whales. What percentage was Sea
world reporting to their public?
3) Where did the term Blackfish come from?
#2 . Collapse of a keystone species: Why should the individual citizen care about management of
environment for the sake of wildlife?
#2: Assessing the Risks of Honey Bee Exposure to Pesticides (this article may be
accessed by going to blackboard under content, "Module 4, articles")
"Abiotic stress from the sublethal effects of pesticides is currently being scrutinized as a
contributing factor to poorly understood colony losses…"
1) Why do the researchers support the use of EthoVision over the current 3-tier
ecological risk assessment protocol employed by the Environmental
Protection Agency to assess the safety of pesticides to honey bees?
2) What are the social or physiological variables displayed by bees that can be
affected by pesticide exposure?
Video #1: Nature: Silence of the Bees (8 minutes)
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=youtube+Honey+bee+colony+collapse+&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=youtube+h
oney+bee+colony+collapse+&sc=0-39&sp=-
1&sk=#view=detail&mid=40C6DB75CB5D8D51553340C6DB75CB5D8D5155
33
1) Why should we care about bee management?
2) What can the average person do to enhance conservation efforts with
regard to Bee management?
#3: Ecotourism : How can we promote a sustainable environment?
"Tourism activities like diving and snorkeling may compromise turtle physiology in a
manner that limits conservation goals for the species and hence the tourism"
#3“ Turtle Watching Conservation Guidelines"( this article may be accessed by going to
blackboard under content, "Module 4, articles")
1) What should a successful green turtle conservation plan include?
recommend temporally- and spatially-dynamic stratified- random-design tours that exclude
critical local (small-scale) habitat and include less- critical habitat on a randomized rotational
basis.
Why would tourists want to cooperate in a management plan promoted by the tourism industry?
wildlife tourism has the potential to follow the ‘‘self-destruct theory of tourism’’
video #2: The Turtle and the Tourist" (8 minutes)
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=Turtle+conservation+tourism&&view=detail&mid=C046DF760DF311D0B8C0C046
DF760DF311D0B8C0&FORM=VRDGAR
1) A successful ecotourism scenario is illustrated in the conservation of the
Loggerhead turtle. What does this management plan include?
#4 Environmental change and communication in species: Should we be concerned about how
we alter our environment? How will organisms adapt and how will this affect biodiversity?
#4 " Communication in Troubled Waters" "( this article may be accessed by going to
blackboard under content, "Module 4, articles")
"Fish populations are increasingly being subjected to anthropogenic changes to their sensory
environments. The impact of these changes ….has only recently started to receive research
attention"
2) What is the sensory environment an interface between?
The sensory environment is the interface between sending and receiving signals; animal
communication systems thus evolve under a specific environmental regime
3) Why do we care about the differences in animal communication systems and
how can we apply our knowledge of such a system?
environmental change can also enhance communication, and possibly lead to novel
communication traits or change the traits that are under selection.
4) How did animal communication systems evolve
under a specific environmental regime, Changes to the sensory environment can influence
animal communication by altering the expression of the signal at the sender level
5) What are the four modalities the authors describe with regard to animal
communication?
The strength and direction of selection on communication traits may vary if such
compensation occurs.
6) Is animal communication acted upon by natural, sexual selection or both?
BOTH
7) According to the article: "Communication in troubled waters", Environmental
changes influence fish communications and diversity - Identify four examples
below cited by the authors to support this hypothesis.
8) What is one of the key pre-mating reproductive barriers between species?
changes to the sensory environment should strongly influence the origins and maintenance of
species diversity.
9) The authors claim that research on environmental change and impacts on fish
communication have been biased towards what type of signals?
signals that humans can most easily receive, namely visual cues.
