Pfiesteria is estimated to have killed Billions – so why no Lockdown?
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the biohazard level for Pfiesteria is a 3, Ebola is a 4, AIDS is a 2 and Coronavirus is a 3.
A biosafety level (BSL), or Pathogen/Protection level, is a set of biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed laboratory facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4).
Pfiesteria affects billions of fish so the assumption is that there is no mass hysteria and lockdown procedure in place as most people claim that animals are NOT sentient beings, consequently ‘beneath us’ and not deserving of our care.
Probably the best proof that animals are sentient beings is the argument put forward by people who when accused of harming animals by eating their flesh who counter that by (erroneously) saying that studies have proven that plants also scream in pain.
The definition of sentient is simply put as “able to perceive or feel things”. Most of us agree that animals are able to feel emotion, form attachments and have distinct personalities. Yet for many decades the idea of animals feeling emotions or having personalities was dismissed by behavioural scientists. This strange view that arose from the 17th century philosopher René Descartes’ alleged assertion that animals are without feelings, physical or emotional.
I would then argue that human beings, as the self appointed alpha sentient beings on the planet, we have an obligation to take responsibility for our actions and NOT HARM those sentient beings that we perceive to be ‘lower’ than us.
At the end of the day all sentient beings occupy this earth and, by that very definition, can be referred to as Earthlings.
Ask yourself; “As a responsible Earthling, do I feel that connection with my fellow Earthlings?”
Much like parents we need to nurture and grow those who find themselves directly affected or dependent upon by our actions.
BUT, we practise another ‘ism – speciesism – where dominant human earthling treat fellow earthlings and living beings as mere objects. This is what is meant by speciesism.
By analogy with racism and sexism, the term speciesism is a prejudice or attitude of bias in favour of the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of other species. If a being suffers there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration. No matter what the nature of the being, the principle of equality requires that one’s suffering can be counted equally with the like suffering of any other being.
Joaquin Phoenix, as the narrator of the documentary Earthlings, says; “Racists violate the principle of equality by giving greater weight to the interests of members of their own race when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of another race. Sexists violate the principle of equality by favouring the interests of their own sex. Similarly, speciesists allow the interests of their own species to override the greater interests of members of other species. In each case, the pattern is identical.”
Taking the above into account and with a world wide lockdown in place over COVID-19 I found it very interesting that similar hysteria and draconian measures were not put in place when (allegedly) over a Billion Sentient Earthlings were killed during a recent outbreak of Pfiesteria, a microorgasm 1,000 times more potent than cyanide.
The organism was named Pfiesteria piscicida, in honor of the late Lois Pfiester, whose research on freshwater dinoflagellates revealed many fascinating characteristics about the complex life cycles of these organisms.
Again Phoenix says; “…spawned from millions of gallons of raw hog faeces and urine, poured into rivers, lakes, and oceans, turning their ecosystems into unflushed toilets, is proving the most alarming. Threatening sea life and humans alike, Pfiesteria has killed over 1 billion fish, the southeast’s largest fishkill on record, and it’s spreading. Traces of Pfiesteria have already been found from Long Island to the Florida Gulf, at distances of up to 1,000 miles. In fact, this water-based Pfiesteria invasion stands as one of the worst outbreaks of virulent microorganism in U.S history. It is a Level Three Biohazard. Ebola is a Four. Aids is a Two. And this bug mutated as a direct result of our mass consumption of animals, particularly pork. With hog farms fattening millions of pigs for slaughter, grain goes in and waste comes out. This waste finds it’s way into our oceans and water-supply systems, contaminating the animals that live in it, as well as those that eat from it.”
BUT not many humans have died from Pfiesteria so we do not bother about Lockdowns and habit changing measures.
Pfiesteria toxins have been blamed for illness in those who have come in close contact with waters where this organism is abundant. Since June 1997, the Maryland Department of Health and Hygiene has been collecting data from Maryland physicians through a statewide surveillance system on illnesses suspected of being caused by Pfiesteria toxin. As of late October 1997, illness was reported by 146 persons who had been exposed to diseased fish or to waters that were the site of suspected Pfiesteria activity. Many of these persons are watermen and commercial fishermen.
The strongest evidence of Pfiesteria-associated human illness so far comes from case studies of two research scientists who were both overcome in their North Carolina laboratory in 1993. They still complain of adverse effects on their cognitive abilities, particularly after exercising. Duke University Medical Center researchers conducted experiments on rats, which showed that the toxin appeared to slow learning but did not affect memory.
References:
- https://theconversation.com/heres-what-the-science-says-about-animal-sentience-88047
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/lab-biosafety-guidelines.html
- https://www.shellethics.com/animal-cruelty/earthlings
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfiesteria_piscicida
- https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/51/10/827/245234
Earthlings Documentary:
Alan Straton
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