I attended Thomas White’s presentation on dolphins. He is a strong advocate for the protection of dolphins and their rights as intelligent individuals. He started by asking why humans have “human rights.” This was answered with a description of defining human characteristics, some of which include self-awareness, self-control, emotions, individual personalities, and respect for one another. It was then shown that dolphins are also believed to have many similar characteristics, based on studies done over the past few decades. If it is unethical to treat humans in a poor manner due to these characteristics, then it makes sense that dolphins should also be treated with respect; not kept in captivity or hunted.
Thomas White mentioned his website which, you can see in this link.
Earth week thought: maybe us humans should think a lot more carefully and critically about our assumed superiority over the rest of creation and take the moral high ground, becoming stewards rather than conquerors of the planet