Call for 'Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans'
The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest scientific conference, has been told by experts in animal behaviour, philosophy, ethics, psychology and conservation that dolphins and whales merit treatment under the same ethical considerations as humans. To recognise their rights in such a manner would therefore force an end to whaling and all forms of captivity including use in entertainment.
Professor Tom White from Loyola Marymount University, a noted ethicist who wrote 'In Defence of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier', told those present that "A person needs to be an individual. If individuals count, then the deliberate killing of individuals of this sort is ethically the equivalent of deliberately killing a human being. We're saying the science has shown that individuality - consciousness, self-awareness - is no longer a unique human property. That poses all kinds of challenges."
The proposed 'Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans' was first agreed in 2010. It contains articles stating that "no cetacean should be held in captivity or servitude, be subject to cruel treatment, or be removed from their natural environment", "no cetacean is the property of any state, corporation, human group or individual", and that "The rights, freedoms and norms set forth in this declaration should be protected under international and domestic law."
Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.
