The Whale Who Went AWOL - Hvaldimir escaped captivity and became a global celebrity. Now, no one can agree about... (tame, wild)

[jbgusa]

The Whale Who Went AWOL - Hvaldimir escaped captivity and became a global celebrity. Now, no one can agree about what to do with him. (embedded link, no paywall) Excerpt:

Originally Posted by New York Times Magazine

On April 26, 2019, a beluga whale appeared near Tufjord, a village in northern Norway, immediately alarming fishermen in the area. Belugas in that part of the world typically inhabit the remote Arctic and are rarely spotted as far south as the Norwegian mainland. Although they occasionally travel solo, they tend to live and move in groups. This particular whale was entirely alone and unusually comfortable around humans, trailing boats and opening his mouth as though expecting to be fed....

A few days later, the beluga followed a boat to Hammerfest, one of the northernmost towns in the world, where he took up residence, frequently interacting with people in the harbor. News of the friendly white whale spread quickly. In early May, a video of the beluga went viral, eventually earning a spot on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Interesting story, about unlikely inter-mammal links. Query, do wild mammals have a way of knowing we won't hurt them? Youtube is rife with clips showing people rescuing bear and wolf cubs. The clips are hard to believe. They even show animal "gratitude" years later. Click bate or real?

Question for poll and discussion.

[jbgusa]

My putting "fluke" into the OP title was no fluke.

[Parnassia]

Not sure I'd classify this as knowing humans won't hurt them per se, rather something less specific. Those individual mammals have learned that humans are familiar other-species beings that can behave in a benign manner. By benign I mean they don't automatically try to harass or injure the animal as either threat, rival, or prey. Both individuals of both species are showing learned behaviors. The human tolerates the animal's presence and may even reward it with something desirable like food. The animal may not understand the motivation behind that benevolence, just that it's present.

Consider that not all belugas, wolves, bears, or other mammals behave the way a habituated, tame, or rescued member of their species might. They still follow an instinctive fight/flight response until experience teaches otherwise. Highly intelligent (high cognition) solitary animals capable of inflicting a lot of harm have more sophisticated behavioral checks and balances to avoid injuring potential mates and/or young when they do come across them. Social animals also have more sophisticated behaviors that keep their groups functional. IMHO they possess neural pathways that make it easier for them to develop a relationship with another social species that isn't them...ie a human.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Not sure I'd classify this as knowing humans won't hurt them per se, rather something less specific. Those individual mammals have learned that humans are familiar other-species beings that can behave in a benign manner. By benign I mean they don't automatically try to harass or injure the animal as either threat, rival, or prey. Both individuals of both species are showing learned behaviors. The human tolerates the animal's presence and may even reward it with something desirable like food. The animal may not understand the motivation behind that benevolence, just that it's present.

Consider that not all belugas, wolves, bears, or other mammals behave the way a habituated, tame, or rescued member of their species might. They still follow an instinctive fight/flight response until experience teaches otherwise. Highly intelligent (high cognition) solitary animals capable of inflicting a lot of harm have more sophisticated behavioral checks and balances to avoid injuring potential mates and/or young when they do come across them. Social animals also have more sophisticated behaviors that keep their groups functional. IMHO they possess neural pathways that make it easier for them to develop a relationship with another social species that isn't them...ie a human.

IMHO, very good analysis.