The Grim tide of extinction rolls on

Adam Khor wrote: »

I agree with aidoh. Also, and I may be the odd man here, because I am more of an artist than a scientist... but, isn´t it normal for paintings to decay and be lost, and for statues to crumble into dust? Yes, but because we, as humans, can appreciate their beauty, we go to great lenghts to preserve the best examples of them.
We are all going to die, but, does that keep us from going to the doctor, and staying away from fire and cliffs and venomous snakes so that we can live longer? Why? Because we love life...

Conservation shouldn´t be about science, it should be about respect and awe before the wonders of nature. That's the whole point of it. It would be arrogant to believe that we can fix a broken ecosystem. Only nature can do that. We are preserving art masterpieces, that's all.
And also, perhaps, we should think that species are more than just genetics- we're dealing with lives here. Any human who considers himself morally superior to the rest of animals, but thinks its ok for humans to terminate millions of lives, because "they are all going to die anyways", is just lying to himself.

Just to making something clear before I throw my hat in the ring, I am entirely pro-conservation and I buy into everything you just said

However, I also think HugoBradyBrown is actually making a valid point. Like you said about paintings and statues, we preserve them because they are beautiful, but they are only beautiful to us. If you look at it objectively, conservation is actually quite a unique and strange trait, you don't see other animals trying to prevent extinction, but then again you don't see other animals going around causing extinctions on the scale we do.

The thing is though, other animals do on occasion wipe others out, not on purpose but as a by product of their need for a common resource or predation etc. To say humans wipe other species out on purpose is a little too black and white a way to put it, it implies ecosystems are only destroyed for the sake of it but that is almost never the case, it's nearly always a direct result of our need/want for a resource of some sort and when viewed objectively is it really any different from any other animal doing what they need to survive or maintain their way of life?

Now don't get me wrong, thats only when viewed objectively and the crux of the issue for me is that,as humans we generally don't and should not view it objectively. Thats what sets us apart. The fact that we are aware of the consequences of our actions is what gives us the responsibility to try and make it so nature evolves and changes at its own pace and not the pace we impose on it.

Just read this on the guardian, following an investigation it seems plain stupidity and gullibility has managed to more or less wipe three populations of Rhino off the planet in the last while:

It may have been a consumer rumour as much as a poacher's gun that finished off the last rhino in Vietnam. An investigation into the extermination of the animal has led back to a dubious claim – one that has gone viral in Vietnam in recent years – that powdered rhino horn cures cancer.

The rumour, which has no basis in science or traditional Chinese medicine, is believed responsible for a surge in demand that is blamed for the loss of three rhino populations in the past year, a wildlife NGO claimed this week. It has prompted conservation groups to begin an urgent review of strategies to identify and affect trends in consumer behaviour.

The Javan rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam last month after the last one was found dead with a bullet in its leg and its horn sawn off. This month, it was followed by Africa's western black rhinoceros and by warnings that the Sumatran rhino is on the brink of extinction in Indonesia.

This followed years of relative stability. The illegal rhino market went quiet in the late 90s as the two main sources of demand – dagger handles in Yemen and fever suppressants in China – were choked with a mix of government crackdowns and viable alternatives. As recently as 2007, only 13 rhinos were poached in South Africa. This year, the number is already 341.

For the full article have a look here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/25/cure-cancer-rhino-horn-vietnam

It makes you wonder just what goes on in peoples heads sometimes. :mad:

Birdnuts wrote: »

A particularly despicable act:mad:

http://safaritalk.net/topic/7701-4-rhinos-killed-last-night-in-the-lowveldt/

Thats horrid, some truly disturbing images there. All caused by the gullibility of people who think Rhino horn has medicinal properties.

Some good news for a change, Gray Wolves are off the endangered species list in the Amercian mid-west thanks to a recovering population. Unfortunately it seens this will give people license to shoot them though.