To Feed or Not to Feed

By Arnel Mirasol

Binibining Pilipjnas-Universe Maxine Medina posing with a whale shark

The visit by some Miss Universe contestants in Oslob, Cebu, to swim with the whale sharks sparked what some saw as outrage, because a netizen posted this plea on facebook :  "Miss Universe, please don't be a bitch to the environment."   (A remark that betrays, in my opinion, the latent sexist and misogynist mindset of whoever wrote that because of his use of the word "bitch".) The visit brings to the fore once again the question of whether to condemn or condone the feeding of whale sharks.

Feeding is always a benevolent act if the one giving food doesn't intend to slaughter later on the animal being fed. I wrote that line in an earlier blog (titled "Yes to Whale Shark Feeding") to defend the fishermen of Oslob who feed the whale sharks that frequent their area. I decried in that blog the seeming double standard of the environmentalists who condemn the feeding of whales sharks in Oslob on one hand, and condone on the other the feeding of the wildlife in Calauit Island, which by the way were all abducted from Africa. Not only is their stand on the issue a stark example of double standard, it also smacks of hypocrisy, because there is right here in Manila an establishment that is downright cruel to marine wildlife. I'm speaking of the Manila Ocean Park, within whose tanks are trapped not only reef fishes, but also pelagic ones, like the sharks and manta rays, whose natural behavior is to roam the farther and deeper reaches of the ocean to hunt for food.

Remember that not too long ago, the Mayor of Dumanjug, Cebu, Nelson Garcia, was quoted as saying that whales, dolphins, and sharks are parasites that should be killed because they are responsible for the dwindling fish catch in the area. He claimed that these marine species consume as much as a ton of fish everyday which could have been for humans. A fisherman in Oslob also confessed that before the advent of whale shark tourism in their place, it was their practice to do precisely what the mayor of Dumanjug proposed because the whale sharks competed with them in catching shrimps. Now, putting the whole issue in that context, it would be reasonable to presume that the feeding of whale sharks is in fact beneficial to them, because it would allow them to multiply. The environmentalists' reasons for the banning of whale shark feeding are but conjectures and theories.  If they succeed, not only would they put at risk the livelihood of the fishermen of Oslob, but would also reduce our country's tourism income.

I respect the opinion of these environmentalist. They may be right on some points. All I ask of them is to be fair, and condemn with equal ferocity the zoos, circuses, and oceanariums  that hold animals captives for life: and while they're at it, to also berate the owners of animal farms where docile species are fed and fattened for slaughter later on.