Tragic Love Story thread, post some

Tom155 · Jun 22, 2014

This is a story of how Margaret Lovatt fell in love with her research subject. Quotations are from TheGuardian, and other news sites.

Margaret Lovatt was met by a tall man with tousled hair, wearing an open shirt and smoking a cigarette. His name was Gregory Bateson, a great intellectual of the 20th century and the director of the lab. "Why did you come here?" he asked Lovatt.

"Well, I heard you had dolphins," she replied, "and I thought I'd come and see if there was anything I could do or any way I could help…" Unused to unannounced visitors and impressed by her bravado, Bateson invited her to meet the animals and asked her to watch them for a while and write down what she saw. Despite her lack of scientific training, Lovatt turned out to be an intuitive observer of animal behaviour and Bateson told her she could come back whenever she wanted.

"There were three dolphins," remembers Lovatt. "Peter, Pamela and Sissy. Sissy was the biggest. Pushy, loud, she sort of ran the show. Pamela was very shy and fearful. And Peter was a young guy. He was sexually coming of age and a bit naughty."
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Carl Sagan, one of the young astronomers at Green Bank, paid a visit to report back on progress to Frank Drake. "We thought that it was important to have the dolphins teach us 'Dolphinese', if there is such a thing," recalls Drake. "For example we suggested two dolphins in each tank not able to see each other – and he should teach one dolphin a procedure to obtain food – and then see if it could tell the other dolphin how to do the same thing in its tank. That was really the prime experiment to be done, but Lilly never seemed able to do it."

Instead, he encouraged Lovatt to press on with teaching Peter English. But there was something getting in the way of the lessons. "Dolphins get sexual urges," says the vet Andy Williamson, who looked after the animals' health at Dolphin House. "I'm sure Peter had plenty of thoughts along those lines."

"Peter liked to be with me," explains Lovatt. "He would rub himself on my knee, or my foot, or my hand. And at first I would put him downstairs with the girls," she says. But transporting Peter downstairs proved so disruptive to the lessons that, faced with his frequent arousals, it just seemed easier for Lovatt to relieve his urges herself manually.

"I allowed that," she says. "I wasn't uncomfortable with it, as long as it wasn't rough. It would just become part of what was going on, like an itch – just get rid of it, scratch it and move on. And that's how it seemed to work out. It wasn't private. People could observe it."

For Lovatt it was a precious thing, which was always carried out with great respect. "Peter was right there and he knew that I was right there," she continues. "It wasn't sexual on my part. Sensuous perhaps. It seemed to me that it made the bond closer. Not because of the sexual activity, but because of the lack of having to keep breaking. And that's really all it was. I was there to get to know Peter. That was part of Peter."

Innocent as they were, Lovatt's sexual encounters with Peter would ultimately overshadow the whole experiment when a story about them appeared in Hustler magazine in the late 1970s. "I'd never even heard of Hustler," says Lovatt. "I think there were two magazine stores on the island at the time. And I went to one and looked and I found this story with my name and Peter, and a drawing."
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While Lilly's experimentation with the drug continued, Lovatt persevered with Peter's vocalisation lessons and grew steadily closer to him. "That relationship of having to be together sort of turned into really enjoying being together, and wanting to be together, and missing him when he wasn't there," she reflects. "I did have a very close encounter with – I can't even say a dolphin again – with Peter."
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31AWe-FN7CA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31AWe-FN7CA

“It would just become part of what was going on, like an itch, just get rid of that, scratch it and we’ll be done and move on.”

After the experiment ended and the lab was closed, Peter was shipped back to Lilly’s lab in Miami and his health quickly deteriorated.

A few weeks later, Margaret found out that Peter had committed suicide by refusing to breathe, and sinking to the bottom of his tank.

Veterinarian Andy Williamson thinks his cause of death was a broken heart.

“Margaret could rationalise it, but when she left, could Peter?” Mr Williamson said. “Here’s the love of his life gone.”
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http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/08/the-dolphin-who-loved-me

http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/us-woman-margaret-howe-says-she-had-sexual-relations-with-peter-the-dolphin/story-fnjwkt0b-1226950056239

His suicide firmly indicates the staggering levels of intelligence of dolphins. I firmly believe that cetaceans of any kind should not be kept in captivity for the purposes of entertainment or for extended periods.

Moonglow181 · Jun 22, 2014

Nope.... would never had let it go that far.....gross....unnatural....so I am more disgusted by that woman.

and very sad that Peter committed suicide over it.

Tom155 · Jun 22, 2014

Moonglow181 said:

Nope.... would never had let it go that far.....gross....unnatural....so I am more disgusted by that woman.

and very sad that Peter committed suicide over it.
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Yes, her behaviour was more than reprehensible, and resulted in the death of a sentient dolphin.

Le Aura · Jun 23, 2014

How was that even allowed eugh

themnax · Jun 23, 2014

i can certainly think of a possible, even probable one.
but why do people insist on obsessing about things that are likely to be depressing?

i think that's one of the reasons i prefer trains and computers and trees and nature,
because humans are so obsessed with depressing themselves.

Moonglow181 · Jun 23, 2014

I am sorry I ever saw this. It left me feeling disgusted all damn night. That woman was and is sick....and to say it was sensual for her? get the f out!

Piaf · Jun 23, 2014

Moonglow181 said:

I am sorry I ever saw this. It left me feeling disgusted
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Same here.

*MAMA* · Jun 23, 2014

Holy shit, it took me way too long to realize this is a beastiality thread.

My gawd. The fuck is wrong with people.

Moonglow181 · Jun 23, 2014

ok, Shakespeare's real love tragedy. I have played this before, but will again, as I am listening to it now....and want to cry, I guess.....not really yet....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh7UsFhzQx8"]Alec R Constandinos Love And Kisses - Romeo & Juliet Acts I +II +III +IV + V LP 1978 DOOR Jackie - YouTube

Heat · Jun 23, 2014

How on earth this went on and all those who were also involved in this project never saw anything or felt that anything was out of the norm is beyond me.

Something is off here.

usedtobehoney · Jun 23, 2014

How do you all feel about the regular raping of cows in the agricultural/beef industry, because this isn't at all surprising to me and you all seem to be surprised that this happens. Have you seen the move Blackfish?

Moonglow181 · Jun 23, 2014

I hate it, used tobehoney.....hate it, hate it, hate it.....,and so much else that is wrong with this world.......

*MAMA* · Jun 23, 2014

I think artificial insemination, and giving a horny dolphin a hand job is a little different. I'll admit factory farming is pretty fucked up though.

Pressed_Rat · Jun 23, 2014

usedtobehoney said:

How do you all feel about the regular raping of cows in the agricultural/beef industry, because this isn't at all surprising to me and you all seem to be surprised that this happens. Have you seen the move Blackfish?
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lol

What kind of sicko rapes a cow? Gross!!

I cannot even begin to imagine how that could be done.

hotwater · Jun 23, 2014

Pressed_Rat said:

lol

What kind of sicko rapes a cow? Gross!!

I cannot even begin to imagine how that could be done.
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Well you've heard of cow tipping, now you know where that phrase originated

Hotwater

usedtobehoney · Jun 23, 2014

*MAMA* said:

I think artificial insemination, and giving a horny dolphin a hand job is a little different. I'll admit factory farming is pretty fucked up though.
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I don't see it differently, but I suppose I can see how you'd see it differently. Nothing wrong with a difference in opinions.

Rat...there's actually a thing in the business they call the "rape rack" or "rape machine"...being a cattle farmer is nothing short of disturbing. It doesn't surprise me that these things happen in various other animal centered businesses.

*MAMA* · Jun 23, 2014

Came across this on tumblr just now.

Moonglow181 · Jun 23, 2014

reminds me of one of the most disturbing paintings I ever saw....a snow man with a penis and a person doing that to him in the painting...It certainly made an impression....i never forgot that gross painting.....not mine.....no way....talk about ice lollies.

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Heat Smile, it's contagious! :) Lifetime Supporter

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