Of Whales and Dolphins...

This image (above) provided by National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration shows a shot dolphin that had washed up on the beach in Oceanside, Calif., photographed June 2, 2007.(AP Photo/National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)

Following the recent discovery (and subsequent murder of) a one-hundred-and-thirty year-old 50-ton bowhead whale last week, I came across this stunning story of animal cruelty on Yahoo this evening: 4 dolphins shot to death in California.

The long-beaked common dolphins were all discovered between Carlsbad State Beach and Oceanside Harbor between May 29 and June 5. Photos showed their normally sleek gray skin mottled and stained with blood from the bullet wounds.

Suggested reading (I first read this book in college almost twenty years ago and will re-read it again), the book Dolphin Dreamtime by Jim Nollman, a leading explorer in the field of interspecies communication. In searching for the Barnes&Noble.com link, I learned that Jim also wrote a book in 1999 that seems (at first look) to be even more relevant, The Charged Border: Where Whales and Humans Meet.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!