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Personally I find it hilarious, I
doubt the story will find much publicity with all that's going on right
now. Jon, you are right about the PR aspect of it. People now days
are getting so far removed from reality that they now have a initiative on
the ballot, here in California, to make it so chickens have more room to turn
around in their cages, and it will probably pass! I hope we don't
all get inspected by PETA now !
Brian
Hi Frank,
I give you points for trying, but I don't
think a large part of the population is going to agree with you. Animal
lovers come in large numbers and this is what I would call a public
relations nightmare. It's not clear to me how the reporter got the
details of the horses demise, but whether Karl invited the reporter on board
for the experience or simply relayed the details verbally it was a huge
mistake and more than likely will affect him, and reflect upon him,
negatively. In the US at least, a horse is more often observed as an
intelligent domesticated "pet" or "work partner" than a beast of burden as it
was 150 years ago. Things may be different in Roatan, but the article
was published by a large US media outlet with (I suspect) a large US based
readership. Compounding the problem is the intent behind the
action. I think most urban-based folks will find the concept of shooting
a horse (regardless of age) and dumping it in the ocean to attract large fish
so that you can make money taking people on a dive trip to watch those fish
eat the horse, insensitive. I think you raised an interesting (and
debatable) point when you compared the horse to other animals and said, "where
do you draw the line". However, I also think most people would place
horses way above that line if one where ever officially defined. Had the
horse already been dead (which is what Karl should have told the press even if
reality was different), it would have been a much different story since it
could have been spun more positively. Call me crazy, but somehow the
vision of bringing a horse out on a boat, shooting it in the head, tying
cinder blocks to its hoofs and sending it overboard to attract "big beasts"
from the ocean depths kind of takes the romance out of a 1,000 foot dive to
the bottom of the ocean to see big fish eating in their natural
environment. I've met Karl and he's an intelligent, respectful, nice
guy. But I think he made a mistake with what he did, and most assuredly
advertising the process to the press. If he continues the procedure
in the future, he may find PETA or GreenPEACE surrounding him as he surfaces
from the deep with orange spray paint cans at the ready.
my two cents,
Jon
The horse thing may sound a little cruel, but would we feel the same if
it was a goat? or a sheep? how about a catfish? Maybe some chopped up squid?
An earth worm? Where do you draw the line?
I love horses as much or more as anyone, but I still like a nice big
steak and egg breakfast.
Karl is following his dream, and by the sound of it, doing well. I
wouldn't have chosen to shoot the horse while on the boat ( for obvious
reasons ) but baiting in the ocean in the search for knowledge is a long and
accepted practice. I wonder if Karl does video of his travels to share with
school children and others who can't go down with him.
Frank D.
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