Why should we save wild animals? (bible)

[michel]

Originally Posted by finalfrogo

Why should humans save wild animals? Why care about the fate of whales, lemurs, orangutangs, or other endangered animals?

(By the way: I'm not proposing that we don't. I'm just curious as to what people will say. )

Every live creature (animal, aquatic and flaura, Fauna (I call them creatures; they "have a life") is precious. The whole of our ecology is based on a system in which everysingle creature has a purpose, to 'keepo the balance of nature'.

If we don't save all endangered creatures, beings, we are messing with nature, which will have a negative effect on the world. That is the practical reason. There is, of course, the emotional one, but that goes without saying.

[Circle_One]

I'm with Jensa on this one. If it weren't for our "we're humans and can process abstract thought and therefore we have the right to lord over the world and take what we wish" way of thinking and doing things, then we wouldn't have to be saving these endangered species in the first place.

Besides, if we can't help these animals and can't save them, what's stopping us from destroying the rest of the world and ourselves along with it?

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by finalfrogo

Why should humans save wild animals?

Because we can.

[Bouncing Ball]

Originally Posted by Jayhawker Soule

Because we can.

The whole reading I was thinking what to answer. When I reached your post, i noticed there was nothing I could add

[Atheist_Dave]

Same, my muddled incoherant post didn't get anything across, you did it in 3 words, good job!

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by finalfrogo

Why should humans save wild animals? Why care about the fate of whales, lemurs, orangutangs, or other endangered animals?

(By the way: I'm not proposing that we don't. I'm just curious as to what people will say. )

As soon as intervention is made to preserve, the process of taming has begun. I'd rather see us controlling ourselves than the animals environment. Poachers might threaten rare species. Humanity as a whole threatens the planet.

[Scarlett Wampus]

The thing is, even if you decided to do something radical like live in a community that went out of its way not to contribute to the mass extinction it would do almost nothing to change the general trend.

Preserving small pockets of land (and sea) as wildlife reserves is not a bad idea since as long as a species can survive then it could potentially spread out again. However, so far our often sincere but minor attempts to save this, that or the other are nothing in comparison to the continuing loss of biodiversity. What we're using and abusing we are losing. I don't know what this means for the future, but there is something about it that makes me feel deeply ill-at-ease.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Scarlett Wampus

Preserving small pockets of land (and sea) as wildlife reserves is not a bad idea since as long as a species can survive then it could potentially spread out again. However, so far our often sincere but minor attempts to save this, that or the other are nothing in comparison to the continuing loss of biodiversity. What we're using and abusing we are losing. I don't know what this means for the future, but there is something about it that makes me feel deeply ill-at-ease.

On a small scale almost all of us can do something to support species in our area and counter the effects of habitat fragmentation and loss. Well, even if you live in an apartment with no patio you can at least help to spread the word about what people can do.

Here's just one example:

http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifeh...atehabitat.cfm

Here are some things that have happened in my area of Atlanta as a result of our Garden Club ladies encouraging people to take part in this effort:

- We are the first Community Wildlife Habitat in the SE U.S.

- The schools are also set up as Wildlife Habitat and we have good Environment Education programs going on there that include kids, parents and teacher. We hope to raise a generation that is more aware of the damage we do and how to counter it. (One teacher and I started the habitat and it's really taken off in 7 years.)

- Chamblee Methodist Church had an offer of MILLIONS of dollars for 13 acres of land they own, but the congregation chose to save it as greenspace. This is especially good, as our local stream wends through their property.

- More and more residents have opted to go organic in their yards. We've noticed an uptick in the number of "higher" species in our stream as a result. (All those chemicals eventually run downhill and into the stream.)

- Neighbors think before they buy plants, to see if they can use a native plant that will feed butterflies or hummingbirds instead of just mindlessly buying another "little green meatball shrub."

- Even condos in our area have residents that think about what plantings they can have on their patios to support butterflies and our ailing bee population.

- A number of businesses have likewise kicked in with their landscaping, as has the Chamblee city government.

- We have convinced some, er, less cooperative businesses to rethink how they store their trash before disposal, so it doesn't end up in our stream.

- We have regular stream cleanups, which are a blast. Lots of people fall in giggling, and the person who finds the most bizarre item gets a small prize. Last year my daughter got it for finding a toilet seat. (?!?) Before that someone found a car bumper.

- We encourage people to compost, and many neighbors now have compost piles. They put in everything from paper shreddings to food scraps. Why fill up a landfill and then have to go buy bags of compost, when it's so easy to let nature make it for you for free?

- Residents have put up bird and bat houses to support those species by ensuring they have proper nesting areas. We've noticed a big increase in the number of bluebirds in the area especially.

Well, there's more, but these are some ideas that pretty much anyone can be involved with in some way, and all of these little things, when 1000 people do them, do make a noticable difference.

Today is a Holy Day for us, so the entire family is home, as it's one where we don't work. Aside from the usual festivities and whatnot, we will spend some time in our front yard retooling the butterfly garden for the summer.