Why do we kill or cage magnificent mammals?

A SWISS man caught and killed a 1,056lb, six-gill shark off the Clare coast last week.

Some newspapers readily printed photos of the proud pensioner standing beside the huge hanging corpse of this “prize”.

The day before, an aquarium in the south-west proudly announced that it had bought four Sand Tiger sharks for display. Newspapers reported the good news that tourism might increase as a result.

What is the passion we have for killing and capturing these magnificent creatures? How can we justify putting four huge three-metre sharks in a glass cage? What benefits are there in killing a magnificent four-metre shark purely for the thrill of it?

What is it about sea creatures that we treat them so savagely? The same treatment of a wild tiger or elephant would cause uproar.

Dolphins have long been captured and held in cruel environments all over the world and we flock to their prisons for a quick glimpse. A wild dolphin will live for about 45 years – his cousin in captivity will be lucky to average five years. A wild dolphin will swim up to 100 miles every day – his cousin would kill himself off the pool wall if he ever managed to get up to his full speed.

Compare their lives to Fungi, the wild dolphin in Dingle bay (just across the road from the shark cages) that has famously chosen to befriend his human neighbours for the past 30 years. If only he knew.

Ronan Quinlan

Broadway Road

Dublin 15