Recently dolphinariums, aquariums, oceanariums have become very popular … There you can learn a lot of interesting things about the life of marine life, communicate with representatives of marine fauna. A visit to such establishments is always a celebration for children and adults. And on the other hand, just imagine what it is like to live like a sea animal! After all, they are doomed to live away from their native places and not have the opportunity to frolic in the vast expanses of the ocean …
Not only entertained, but also treated
If you have ever been to a dolphinarium, then you will surely remember what an indelible impression the representations of dolphins, fur seals and beluga whales make. What positive and good filled performances of these lovely representatives of the marine fauna! They are so wonderful and sincere that you yourself are charged from them with good and positive energy. It is not for nothing that there is such a treatment for a number of neurological pathologies and diseases of the musculoskeletal system as dolphin therapy. What a cute and funny dolphin language - their screams! However, the therapy itself is based on the effect of ultrasonic waves emitted by them on the human brain. That's how wonderful they are - these inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Do you know that there is Whale and Dolphin Day? Yes Yes. It turns out that the inhabitants of the oceans have their own holiday.
When is World Whale and Dolphin Day celebrated?
Let's talk about the history of this holiday. In 1986, on February 19, the IWC (International Whaling Commission) banned the whaling industry worldwide, and with it the trade in whale meat. The fact is that the previous two hundred years of whales mercilessly destroyed.
And no methods to combat illegal fishing could stop the hunters for such prey. In addition, significant damage was caused to the mammalian population and their capture for dolphinariums, aquariums, and sea circuses. Some species were on the verge of extinction. Therefore, the IWC has moved on to drastic measures. Currently, February 19 is the World Day for the Protection of Marine Mammals, Whale Day (as it is also called). “And when can you become a participant in such an event?” - you ask. Read about it below.
How and when is World Whale Day celebrated?
The holiday itself was officially established on July 23, 1986. And so it happened that World Dolphin and Whale Day is celebrated twice. Every year these days environmental organizations organize various actions in defense of mammals of the oceans. Often, environmentalists from all over the world come together to devote a day to one of the endangered species, which is in danger of extinction. With this step, they are trying to draw the attention of mankind to this problem. For example, in 2013, there was a demonstration in the European Union promoting the closure of all dolphinariums.
For Russia, this day is also relevant, because the seas of our country are home to dozens of different species of sea seals, whales, dolphins. But it is no secret that many of them have long been listed in the Red Book, and some are on the verge of extinction.
Interesting fact. Despite the fact that there is officially recognized World Day of Dolphins and Whales, some countries have established their own holiday, or rather, set a different date for it on the calendar. For example, in 2008 Australia postponed the holiday to the first Saturday of June, and the Americans celebrate it on the twenty-first of June (during the summer solstice). Probably, it is not so important who and when celebrates this day, the main thing is that it is dictated by good intentions - to protect the inhabitants of the World Ocean from ourselves, otherwise soon some of them will only be mentioned in the scientific literature as missing species.
But what about World Whale and Dolphin Day? The photographs presented in the article demonstrate some of the events and actions held on that day and designed to draw public attention to existing problems, to push people to solve them.
People, don’t be so cruel!
Of course, the nineteenth of February is an occasion to recall the marine life and the problem of the extinction of certain species, as well as to take care of the vulnerability of mammals to humans. In a number of countries, World Dolphin and Whale Day has already found its traditions in honoring the inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Employees of environmental organizations offer to pay attention to all marine mammals, since there are several species facing the threat of extinction, the problem is much larger than it might seem at first glance. Seals, for example, have been hit hard by the attention of people, and dolphins along with them.
The ICC ban, entered into force in 1986, is still valid. No one has canceled it. But, unfortunately, not all countries take it into account. The Japanese still supply whale meat to restaurants in their country. And this is done under the guise of trapping for scientific research. A couple of years ago, the Australian prime minister, outraged by such arbitrariness, demanded that Tokyo stop killing mammals. But, as they say, things are still there …
Illegal capture of whales is also carried out in the Dominican Republic, and in Norway, Canada, Iceland, Greenland. World Dolphin and Whale Day gathers like-minded people who want to remind people who care about what they are destroying such beautiful creatures of nature. So, you need to defend them, because they are unarmed in front of people.
Origin of whaling
The founders of whaling are considered residents of the southern provinces of France and northern Spain. As early as the eleventh to twelfth centuries, they began to carve whales, which were washed ashore. Basques used whale fat, meat. In the sixteenth century, given the demand for all of these products, people began the commercial capture of marine animals.
And by the middle of the seventeenth century, almost all the countries of Europe with maritime outlets: France, Spain, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and, of course, England, were already engaged in such fishing.
In Russia, before the revolution, the peoples of Chukotka hunted whaling. Before the war in the USSR, a small number of sperm whales were mined in the Far East, and the first whalers fleet was founded there (1932). On a full scale, they started fishing after the Second World War. And this continued until the end of the seventies.
Amazing Whale Facts
Whales, dolphins inhabit the waters of the oceans. All of them are quite interesting in their behavior and combine the signs of seemingly different orders. They have fins, smooth skin, and a streamlined body like fish. But all internal organs are arranged, as in warm-blooded creatures: they have lungs, they carry babies and give birth. Creating whales, nature took into account the smallest nuances. For example, they do not have hair, because they simply do not need it, because subcutaneous fat will protect them from the cold. The small eyes of the whales do not cause them any inconvenience either; they see very well underwater. Moreover, marine animals are well oriented in the ocean thanks to the sounds made by relatives.
All whales on the planet can be divided into two species: toothed and baleen. They differ in the structure and physiology of the body.
Baleen whales have no teeth. Instead, there is a whalebone in the mouth, which is a large plate covered with villi. They feed on plankton and small fish. The representatives of this detachment include blue and humpback whales.
Toothed whales, on the contrary, have teeth, and therefore their food is large fish. These include dolphins, sperm whales, porpoises, killer whales.
Kitoboev has always been more interested in baleen whales as prey. Either their calmer disposition played a role, or the value of a whalebone.
Similarity of people and dolphins
But dolphins - those in general are similar in structure to humans. Both we and they are warm-blooded, we feed offspring with milk, breathe lightly, and have a four-chamber heart. Growth is also about the same. Dolphins reach a length of one and a half to two meters, which is comparable to human size.
And about the mutual assistance of these cute creatures there are legends. Family ties are strong between them. They live in packs that are their family. His dolphin will never leave in trouble. Cases of rescue by them of drowning people are known. Dolphins, oddly enough, are never aggressive towards humans.
They communicate with each other using signals. Only people do not understand them. A person can hear only a small part of them due to low frequencies. Scientists, studying these amazing creatures, realized that they respond to the names given to them at birth. Moreover, dolphins recognize themselves in the mirror. Even the weight of the brain is almost the same as that of a person (1.7 kg).
