Last week about one hundred and forty whales beached themselves and died in southern Australia. About two hundred initially beached themselves but locals were able to move about fifty of them back to the sea before they died.

This is a phenomenon that pops up from time to time. It brings up many questions and sparks debates. It seems to be a type of mass suicide but unlike the mass suicides that sometimes plague humanity, there is no suicide note explaining their reasons. It leaves us guessing, speculating and wondering as to what is the cause or the motive.

Their adeptness in the water, their grace, leads me to believe that it is impossible that a storm could have left them there against their will. They are simply too good in water for this to happen. The water is their home and they are extremely smart creatures. This leaves then that they do it on their own accord but that then raises many questions. Can animals become depressed? Ok, say they can, can they organize? What else would explain two hundred decided they should end their lives simultaneously in the same place?

I could go on with more and more questions, it is an interesting topic to ponder. However, I would like to get to the debate. For me that is defined by asking, “Should we, as humans, intervene?” Animal lovers would commonly answer yes but I think this is wrong. To me that would be tampering with nature. Though we don’t understand it, there is something that drove these animals to this beach. Assuming that they are capable of avoiding being washed up against their will, then it must also be assumed that they decided to put themselves there. Whatever their reason, I think that they deserve the right to make the decision for themselves.

It could be argued that to let them die is cruel but nature is cruel. If you see a lion killing a zebra and intervene, you scared the lion away by shooting a gun, are you not then denying lion a meal? The animal kingdom is cruel but it is for the most part in balance. Human meddling then will throw off that balance. So, do we try to control and make nature perfect or do we put some faith in it and let it work itself out?