Survival of the fittest?

[Silverlily]

Is it really survival of the fittest? The Florida panther is critically endangered and facing extinction within 30 years if the situation doesn't change. The Yuma cougar is facing a similar problem.

What situation? The expansion of civilization. Their hunting grounds have been decimated and their prey run off or also killed. Animals the once covered much of US, now are found in a third of that area. Does the fact we are the only species that eradicates others for reasons other than food or security really make us more worthy?

The cougar is a very adaptable creature. It is the easiest predatory cat to domesticate and usually does well when relocated. Texas was dramatically increase their cougar population in a rather short period of time. So why is the Florida panther so close to extinction? God forbid prime real estate land be sacrificed for a dumb beast.

Humans rarely do anything until it is almost too late. By waiting until a crisis occurs, we get to feel like heroes and ingore the fact we are indeed the culprits. It is very sad that such an advanced species has such trouble using their surperiority to protect the beautiful things in this world.

 

[wolfy]

Control freaks

We are a dangerous selfish race that wants to control the world. We are stronger then any other race and use our power to destroy anything that gets in our way. A few of us actually care about them and say "STOP" but even we still exist and continue to deplete the world of resources. As a race we won't lay down and die peacefully. We are going to fight to the last for what we have. With eachother or nature. I don't belive it's possible for humans to cease to exist on this planet without causing massive harm and maybe irrevocable harm to all life. There may be other creatures here with us still but they will all be domesticated or walking food. Not free.
It's crazy we don't have more population control by now. Even for our own survival it dosn't make any sense. We have to many people on this planet. We are using resources to fast and don't have long term plans to get more. It's not logical to me in any way. I don't think there is a way we can change anything personally. The problem is to big. I take comfort that eventually our sun will expand and engulf the earth and kill all life here anyway so we are just speeding things up a bit.

 

[Whispersecret]

Crap. Everyone thinks I'm some anti-ecology, anti-cancer cure, anti-animal person now.

Wolfy, please. Give me some credit. <pokes you playfully> I took high school ecology too. I realize the important part all animals play in the "circle of life." And I never said that deforestation didn't exterminate species.

You have an excellent point about controlling population, however, I think that people have been working for that for longer than they've worried about endangered species. I remember hearing about that when I was in junior high ('77 or thereabouts.)

Please don't misunderstand me. I agree all of you that humankind is a selfish species. We've done some horrendous things to our environment. (Shall we talk about disposable diapers? Disposable everything??? Nah. We were talking about animals.)

Don't get down on Slut_Boy. He's just saying that it might not be an advancement to find a cure for cancer, because some other incurable disease will probably pop up to take its place.

Jade, my comment about humans keeping the beneficial animals was meant snidely. I meant that we're such a selfish species that, no doubt, we'd end up keeping only what benefitted us. We're on the same channel here.

I suppose there's no way of knowing if pandas or whatever species would survive on its own because we've tampered so much in the natural selection by overrunning their habitats.

I withdraw the question. It can't be answered. We're all human. The human race has made some horrible mistakes, and will continue to do so. Each person has to do their part. I'm not on a boat challenging the whalers, but I am conserving resources as much as I can. I try to reduce the amount of garbage my family produces. I don't buy cars with horrible gas mileage, etc.

Oh, never mind. That has nothing to do with endangered animals. LOL.

 

[wolfie69]

Whisper????

Was that comment for wolfy or wolfie69 lol

 

[Silverlily]

Crap. Everyone thinks I'm some anti-ecology, anti-cancer cure, anti-animal person now.

Not everyone.

I think you are the person who had the idea to start a thread. Not everyone has the same passions. Blue called me an amphibian for not caring about the Polar Icecaps (I'm not mad, really) Each of us has our own thing to care about.

 

[Slut_boy]

Wolfie69,

I am sorry if my comment offended you. The answer to your question is "yes". I have had people close to me die of cancer (not AIDS although I have a friend recently diagnosed as HIV positive). But Wolfie, I don't think that thought-provoking comments ought to be stifled simply because of relativism - something sensible can't become unsensible just because there may in all liklihood be people emotionally affected. Anyway, please know that I didn't mean to hurt you (how could I without the knowledge of your personal life details that I clearly don't have).

Just an aside to this,

Population and fertility are strange things. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example where there is very little food to sustain people you would think that nature would curb the number of births. But the opposite happens - indigenous African women are one of the most fertile species around. You just need to look at them and they fall pregnant. Perhaps because the mortality rate is so high, they need to produce so many kids. Its a kind of reverse logic because if they had less kids then they could look after them better and the mortality rate would be lower.

 

[insideShiraz]

I'm just going to Sleep now...

Of all the McFillet O'Shit that we eat, 78% is wasted from the Ocean...

Survive these Ripoffs who don't even want to pay their own Employees...

 

[Jade]

Jade, my comment about humans keeping the beneficial animals was meant snidely. I meant that we're such a selfish species that, no doubt, we'd end up keeping only what benefitted us. We're on the same channel here.

Ah phew! ( I guess I can call back my undercover guys that were going off to Whisper's house to make sure she hadn't been possessed by mind controlling aliens! lol)

It IS Whispersecret after all! (And I was worried! Sheesh!)

xoxo