He starts bumming cigarettes off the director about halfway through the movie.
Here is another documentary done by a naturalist who spent 7 years as a friend to a herd of mule deer: Touching the Wild.
With the mule deer, he is able to gain their trust while they are still fearful of other humans. They allow him to pet and scratch them, and be near their young. By getting so close to them, he is able to gain detailed insight into their thinking and behavior, which was really interesting.
Ethically, I think he crossed the line by giving members of the herd human names, and becoming emotionally attached to some of them, like pets, even though they are still wild animals. In the end he gives up his journey with the herd because I think even he knew he was getting too attached, especially as one of his deer “friends” is taken by hunters right in front of him.
As with Octopus Teacher, I do not think either’s presence with the other caused any harm, and it was interesting to see the interactions.
I’ll make my point more clear. He was not in a “wilderness area”. He was in an area where fishing is allowed, including the taking of marine invertebrates.
WTH? “Wilderness area” and “where fishing is allowed” are in no way mutually exclusive.
Yes, you’re right, it does appear to be in the MPA, but not in the “no take” zone.
Rules for MPA’s are pretty light.
My point is, it’s a little odd to be wondering if it’s morally OK for this dude to have been letting an octopus interact with him, when there is a fishery for this animal that harvests 35,000 tons per year. At around 1kg per octopus, that’s about 35 million of these ending up on tables per year.
I’m OK if a guy makes a film where one of them interacts with him.
Oh that’s your now fully clarified point? Lol. Are you fron South Africa? I personally wouldn’t know much about the rules of their MPAs.
Regardless, it’s an extremely poor point. The ethics of the fishing industry is not the ethics of a documentarian.
Should we also talk about the ethics of octopuses attacking humans?
I disagree, I think my point is valid. It’s about context.
We’re talking about whether or not it is ethical for a film maker to observe an invertebrate, and to let that invertebrate reach out and touch him (In the film, he waited to let the animal come to him, he never reached out to touch it).
It’s perfectly valid to look at the context of the situation, and some of the context is that Octopus vulgaris is a short-lived animal that is the subject of an intense fishery that captures millions of them for the table each year.
What is the overall harm that the filmmaker caused? How does this harm compare to the harm caused by harvesting millions of these animals? Does the benefit of the film (awareness of the ocean and of this animal) outweigh any harm that the filmmaker caused?
You expect wrong. It very much is a Marine Protected Area.
Octopuses are semelparous, she was dying anyway.
Like ctnguy said, it was in an MPA - all of the Cape Peninsula is an MPA.
More importantly, it was actually the part of the MPA around Cape Point - also part of the Table Mountain National Park proper.
But having said that, there’s nothing morally wrong with what he did. Octopuses are naturally curious, and there’s nothing wrong with just interacting with one in the wild, IMO.
It was in the actual Cape Point part of the NP, from what I could see.
Yes, this was pointed out earlier that is likely in a MPA, altho the description is a little vague. But a MPA isnt the same as a Sanctuary. Fishing is allowed and common but with permits limits, etc.
Yes, I stand corrected. And I agree with the rest of your post.
thanks for the link and clarification.
Are you seriously trying to Yank-splain my own city’s protected areas to me?
I know what an MPA is. I also know where the Restricted parts of this particular MPA are, and can recognize them in a film when I see them.
Your reasoning would seem to allow for basically anything short of wholesale slaughter of the species as ethical.
Guy, just …don’t.
You’re just showing more ignorance of what the City of Cape Town is.
I’ll wait while you look that one up on Wikipedia…
OK, yes, but Simons Town is different than Cape town.
So you live in Cape Town?
Great.
And how was I supposed to know that? It no longer shows up you know. I have to actually click on your name to see it. Your first post here was to tell me I was wrong by saying it wasnt a sanctuary. It isnt one, but as you said is it a MFA, which is not a sanctuary. Why not say “hey, I live in Cape Town and I know that MFA”.
So, yes, I apologize if it seemed like I was explaining a MPA just for you and only you. Euphonious_Polemic Appreciated the link.
Wait, MrDibble is from South Africa? Next thing you know someone will claim to be from Spain…