Free Dolphin Island by Arthur C. Clarke Page A

can’t translate Dolphin as well as the Professor,
     but I’d stake my reputation on this.”
    “Anyway,” continued Professor Kazan. “My next point should prove that I’m not hopelessly
     pro-dolphin, however fond of them I happen to be. I’m not a zoologist, but I know
     something about the balance of nature. Even if we
could
help them,
should
we? Dr. Hirsch, you may have some ideas on that.”
    The Director of the Tel-Aviv Zoo took his time in answering; he was still a little
     sleepy, for it was not yet dawn in Israel.
    “This is a hot potato you’ve handed us,” he grumbled. “And I doubt if you’ve thought
     of all the complications. In the natural state, all animals have enemies—predators—and
     it would be disastrous for them if they didn’t. Look at Africa, for example, where
     you’ve got lions and antelopes sharing the same territory. Suppose you shot all the
     lions—what would happen then? I’ll tell you: the antelopes would multiply until they
     stripped all the food, and then they’d starve.
    “Whatever the antelopes think about it, the lions are very good for them. Besides
     preventing them from outrunning their food supplies, they keep them fit, by eliminating
     the weaker specimens. That’s Nature’s way; it’s cruel by our standards, but effective.”
    “In this case the analogy breaks down,” said Professor Kazan. “We’re not dealing with
     wild animals but with intelligent people. They’re not
human
people, but they’re still people. So the correct analogy would be with a tribe of
     peaceable farmers who are continuously ravaged by cannibals. Would you say that the
     cannibals are good for the farmers—or would you try to reform the cannibals?”
    Hirsch chuckled.
    “Your point is well taken, though I’m not sure how you propose to reform killer whales.”
    “Just a minute,” said Dr. Abdullah. “You’re getting outside my territory. How bright
are
killer whales? Unless they really are as intelligent as dolphins, the analogy between
     human tribes breaks down, and there’s no moral problem.”
    “They’re intelligent enough,” Professor Kazan answered unhappily. “The few studies
     that have been made suggest that they’re at least as intelligent as the other dolphins.”
    “I suppose you know that famous story about the killers who tried to catch the Antarctic
     explorers?” said Dr. Hirsch. The others admitted ignorance, so he continued: “It happened
     back at the beginning of the last century, on one of the early expeditions to the
     South Pole—Scott’s, I think. Anyway, a group of the explorers were on the edge of
     an ice floe, watching some killer whales in the water. It never occurred to them that
     they were in any danger—until suddenly the ice beneath them started to shatter. The
     beasts were ramming it from underneath, and the men were lucky to jump to safety before
     they broke right through the ice. It was about three feet thick, too.”
    “So they’ll eat men if they have the chance,” said someone. “You can count my vote
     against them.”
    “Well, one theory was that they mistook the fur-clad explorers for penguins, but I’d
     hate to put it to the test. In any case, we’re fairly sure that several skin-divers
     have been taken by them.”
    There was a short silence while everyone digested this information. Then Dr. Saha
     started the ball rolling again.
    “Obviously, we need more facts before we come to any decisions. Someone will have
     to catch a few killer whales and make a careful study of them. Do you suppose you
     could make contact with them, Nickolai, as you have with dolphins?”
    “Probably, though it might take years.”
    “We’re getting away from the point,” said Dr. Hirsch impatiently. “We’ve still got
     to decide
what
we should do, not
how
we do it. And I’m afraid there’s another thundering big argument in favor of killer
     whales and against our dolphin friends.”
    “I know what it is,” said