C: Welcome and thank you for tuning into Dolphin Forum. Today we have with us human specialist, NL37, Professor Keyhole. Good evening Professor.
K: Good evening Cherry, Good evening everyone.
C: Could you tell us a bit about your research?
K: Gladly. I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 20 or so years and started my research on humans in 1995. Studies have all suggested that humans are a highly evolved species and have the intelligence of a 10 year old dolphin. They have their own language but the frequencies sounds they use are within a very narrow range. It would be reasonable to say that their language is not as intricate or complicated as ours. According to our observations, it seems that most humans make the effort to try communicate with us and often produce a simples sound like “Woah”. However, the simplicity of their language actually makes it difficult to decode what they are trying to say as it could mean a multitude of things. Human researchers agree that humans have a conscience with various personalities. Though usually they are of a peaceful nature, have the potential to be dangerous especially towards organisms of other species. Humans like to constantly explore and expand our habitat and if we are able to understand their language it would help us and other animals coexist better with them.
C: I see. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the third runway Hong Kong people are proposing. Some of them think that we dolphins will be able to avoid the construction and will return to the area after the project is completed. What do you think about the situation?
K: I have to say I am very disappointed and sorry because we haven’t been able to decode the human language and aren’t able to communicate directly with them yet. In the recent years, the Chinese White Dolphins in Hong Kong have been disturbed by the humans and it has caused a sharp decline in our population. We have migrated and moved so many times to give space for human development projects a number of times. The Chek Lap Kok Airport reclamation in the 90’s, the current Hong Kong- Zhuhai – Macau Bridge construction. Evacuation from these places means that the population density in other water is overloaded. Without enough food or space for all the dolphins, it makes basic survival difficult especially for the babies and kids; our infant mortality rate has be increasing. Scientists believe that Pink Rd which we use to travel between Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau and The Brothers Island has already been damaged by various human impacts: increase in high speed ferries, noise pollution, land reclamation and other impacts have made it very dangerous to travel there. Officials have decided that if the EIA report of the airport’s third runway does pass an emergency plan will be implemented banning the use of that area. It would be too dangerous to keep using the road. However, those waters hold important Chinese White Dolphin heritage and historians are trying to see if there is anything to be done to prevent this permanent loss.
C: That is such a great shame. Is there any way we can decode human language soon?
K: It is a shame and such a helpless situation. Through very simple communication it seems most humans seem to agree with our point of view. However, there seems to be a great communication barrier with their pack leaders as their intelligence seems to be much lower and others refused to communicate with us. This means that that their official estimates and assumptions of our behavior are wrong and the third runway will probably happen. We have to be prepared.
C: It seems that we have to find a way to fully communicate and agree with humans if we want to turn the tables. Thank you Professor Keyhole for explaining the situation to us. Hope everyone will join us again next week. Goodnight.
Flaws of the Third Runway EIA report (16)
Hong Kong Airport Authority stresses to the public that dolphins are intelligent beings thus believe that they will be able to avoid the human impacts during the construction period and that will return to waters close by once construction is complete. However, North East Lantau waters have already pretty much been eradicated of dolphin movement because of the Hong Kong- Zhuhai- Macau Bridge construction. If the third runway construction beings in 2016 right when the bridge is to be finished, the travelling corridor there will be blocked by land reclamation construction and route changes in high speed ferry navigation. This will prevent the dolphins from taking advantage of the marine park status which The Brothers Island and the surrounding waters will be given in 2016. The EIA report hopes that the dolphins will come back to North Lantau waters without any scientific evidence. Even if the proposed marine park in 2023 will connect that of the ones at Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau and The Brothers Island, the damaged done by the construction of the third runway is permanent and will not be rectified.
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