Are dolphins people?

Scientists have increasingly become more fascinated with the cognitive abilities of dolphins and some are even suggesting that they be regarded as non-human persons.  They are identified as the second most intelligent animal species on earth, next to humans.  Dolphin DNA is also very similar to humans.  They have unique personality and are overall similar to humans with their social networking by interaction with friends, partners, and family members.

Only a few animal species can pass a self-recognition mirror test, which is used as an indication of self-awareness.  Some primates (like chimps, bonobos, humans), elephants, and bottlenose dolphins are able to recognize themselves in mirrors.  Magpie birds are also able to recognize themselves in mirrors (interestingly enough, magpies have unique parts of the brain different than most other bird species).  Some may say "they all pass the self-recognition test, but their intelligence levels vary.  How can we be certain they are actually self-aware?".
Human babies and human adults both can recognize themselves in a mirror.  But without a doubt, you know that your current level of consciousness is much higher than it was when you were a baby, even though you were technically self-aware in both stages.  This is because intelligence directly correlates with the level of consciousness and self-awareness.  It's the same for other self-aware animal species.  Dolphins, who have the highest intelligence, are likely to have an individual consciousness that is much greater than a magpie bird because their brains are more complex.

Dolphins display behaviors of empathy.  There are many reports of cetaceans helping injured swimmers or swirling around someone in the ocean to protect them from a shark attack.  They also display behaviors of helping each other when injured or protection from being harmed.  It has been observed that dolphins will teach others around them how to play certain games, tricks, and unique behaviors.
Because dolphins do not have limbs and hands like primates, they evolved differently.  They don't require large amounts of general intelligence because their ability to manipulate their environment is very limited.  As social beings, their emotional intelligence may be even higher than suspected.  They have the ability to feel sadness, happiness, and other basic emotions.

It is becoming more evident that dolphins may be capable of language.  Researchers are trying to decipher a communication that sounds to us like meaningless whistling, but may actually be an underlying language that only dolphins can understand.   Human conscious thinking is grounded in spoken language, so a dolphins ability of language may indicate they have a thought process similar to ours.

Because we are human, we are able to confirm that the human species is capable of self-aware conscious thinking.  We are unable to access the mind of a dolphin, but we can use the human brain as a model to make a suggestion that certain cognitive functioning is close to humans because of similar brain activity and regions.
Dolphins, whales and other cetaceans are not safe, despite the evidence suggesting that they are likely self-conscious individual beings.  In some countries, it is still acceptable to kill dolphins and whales for food (falsely advertised as research purposes).  Many thousands of dolphins and whales are killed every year in Japan, Peru, Solomon Islands and elsewhere.  The meat is contaminated with high levels of mercury.  Some dolphins are spared and sold to aquariums where they live the rest of their unnatural lives in captivity.  Many times the "fishermen" doing the killing are not aware that dolphins are mammals and not fish.

Basic humans rights are a result of high cognitive ability and conscious thinking.  In an objective morality, we would not accept humans being captive, killed, forced to perform for someone else's profit, tortured, or unnecessarily harmed in any way.  The value of human life does not exist simply because we are of the human species but is a result of our cognitive abilities.  Therefore it is only logical to extend these same basic rights to other animals who show reasonable evidence of having similar cognitive abilities or self awareness as humans do.

How you can help:
1.  Spread awareness.  Educating others about the similarities of cetaceans with humans is an important first step in trying to have international government action made to protect them.  Sign petitions when possible and get involved in community action.
2.  Don't support Seaworld and other cetacean entertainment practices.  They exploit the lives of the whales and dolphins for profit and human entertainment.  Captivity and forced performance for animals with such a high intelligence, can be exhausting, psychologically damaging, and inhumane for them.  These animals travel miles upon miles in the wild with their pods but are in small pools without enough interpersonal communication when captive.
3.  Avoid seafood products.  Dolphins and other cetaceans are injured and have their lives disrupted by human ocean activity.  Fishing ships can harm and frighten them.  The fishing industry can also be deadly for dolphins.  Dolphins and tuna normally feed on fish together, and fishermen take advantage of the opportunity of catching tuna while they are feeding.  Dolphins are also captured in nets along with the tuna and are killed.  The oceans are being over-fished as it is and human activity is quickly destroying the ocean and its ecology.
4.  Reduce pollution.  The oceans are becoming more polluted by factories and human activity.  Chemicals, plastics, and general dumping is rampant in some parts of the ocean.  Exposure to these can harm cetaceans and other sea life and disrupt their biological functioning.
5.  Take Action.  Save the Dolphins Day is October 14th, every year, and is a worldwide day of protest to fight for the rights of whales and dolphins.  You can find an event to attend in many major cities in the US.
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/
For more information on the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, watch the documentary The Cove.



VIDEOS:
Dolphin complex play behavior:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q
Dolphin parenting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsk4u0IMmTE

Dolphin saves whale:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp_motddvnQ


*Mark