Another example of animal rights activists' stupidity -- XAVIER MENS BASKETBALL

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 15:35:34 11/11/02 Mon
Author: Homeskillet
Subject: Another example of animal rights activists' stupidity

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- There are no second chances in the ocean wild. Sea lions and other marine mammals either survive or they don't.

In a home video, tourists watch in shock as a great white shark attacks and kills a wild sea lion just west of the golden gate bridge in 1998. It's nature, but it's difficult to watch.

And it's especially difficult if the sea lion has a name and was the recipient of a lot of nurturing at the hands of volunteers of The Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.

Late last month they brought two recovering sea lions to the farallone islands on a chartered boat after nurturing them back to health, and let them go into the water.

"We released first, Edog," says Mammal Center Spokeswoman Jennifer Witherspoon. "And he swam toward the shoreline. Then we released Swissy, and she was attacked almost immediately by a great white shark and was killed."

A release of a recovering mammal is usually an occasion for celebration - the pay off for the volunteers who labored to give a second chance to a disadvantaged animal. No one ever counted on watching their charges swim to their deaths.

"Swissy went back in the water for a minute and it was really tragic," says Witherspoon, " because she turned and looked at the boat and everyone felt that kind of exhiliartion we all feel when we do a release and we see them go back into the wild ... and then to see her be taken immediately, was very upsetting."

Rescue workers at the Center say they understand well, the role sharks and sea lions play in the food chain. But they say, the entire coast is shark territory. And in 27 years of releases they've never seen a shark attack. Now that they have, they'll try to find a safer place to release their sea lions.

Sometimes they do release recovering mammals from the beach. But sea lions that have been accustomed to being near people, tend to quickly get back into trouble.

So with or without great whites lurking, the farallone islands may still be rescued mammals best bet for a second chance.

But the memory of losing a sea lion there won't quickly fade. "It was a big shock, a very big shock, and it was unfortunate," says volunteer teacher and crew chief Graham Charles. "But, what we're left with is the thought that this happens. The shock came form the fact we were there to see it."

After conferring with shark experts, Marine Mammal Center staff decided to make future sea lion releases in an area north of the Farallones - a place that may have rougher water, but fewer sharks.
----------------------
Little bitches deserved this. Screw sea lions.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Right in the middle of fucking fisherman's wharf in San Fran, there are about 500 Sea Lions on any given day, and no sharks. Why they wouldn't just dump these two in right there is beyond me. Like the skillet said, serves them right. Though I bet that Great White was really digging the meals on wheels program. WooHoo! I wish I had been there. I would have been the asshat that was clapping and cheering nature handing it to the granola crunching tree huggers. -- BP, 22:58:00 11/11/02 Mon

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Homoskillet knows all about San Francissyco. -- Sea Lion, 07:49:55 11/12/02 Tue

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> It is great to be atop the food chain. We can choose to eat either animal. -- The Humboldt, 08:14:36 11/13/02 Wed

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]