This question here I believe is a big one that the entire human race needs to rethink.
Which animals deserve protection? How do we choose which animals to protect by law and which ones not to protect? Which animals should we rightly kill and when does killing cross the line? The human race appears confused when it comes to these questions as we have a large tendency to contradict ourselves ( of course we contradict ourselves in most everything we do! ) Here is a proposed way to answer these questions.
RELAVANCE!!!! If an ant is killed either on accident, on purpose, or eaten for food. Its life can be easily replaced by another in the hive. Ants reproduce quickly so a single casualty is not much of a loss. The blandings turtle takes up to 15 years to reach sexual maturity. A single death of an adult or juvinile blandings turtle has the potential to influence the entire population! Therefore by the relevance theory the blandings turtle should recieve more legal protection than the ant.
All theories have flaws when it comes to philosophy! Of course I know we should never stick with just one but bring together a diversity of ideas to formulate our own personal opinion. Here are some of the flaws I have identified with the Relevance theory.
1. Endangered species- If an animal population is dying out who is to say if the species is worth saving or not? Once a species becomes rare its ecological significance usualy drops.
Ex: the giant panda feeds mainly on bamboo, which was previously a plentyful resource. Today bamboo is scarce so humans spend tons of money trying to save the pandas. Because the need for a creature to keep bamboo in check is gone, the panda no longer serves as important of a niche. How do we decide if it is worth saving or not?
2. Invasive species- when are they beneficial and when aren’t they? Should we judge this solely on how well it fits into a new niche?
Ex: Burmese pythons are loose in southern United States. Some argue that they do not belong and eat animals that shouldn’t be eaten. Others argue that humans destroyed other predators that previously fed on these animals and the snakes are taking advantage of a wide open niche. What should we do?
3. Personal preference- don’t lie to yourself, humans favor some animals over others just because we want to. Cats and dogs will always have more protection than snakes and insects. When is it approperiate to listen to reason and when is it aproperiate to listen to our personal desires?
Ex: Lets say a feral cat comes by and eats a pet duck. Now lets say a burmese python comes by and eats a pet duck. For killing the snake I would be praised for removing an innvasive species, for killing the cat I could be arrested for animal cruelty.
I tried to keep this question neutral ( although bias is inevitable ). When answering look at these details as topics for discusion, do not hold them as my own personal opinions!
If you also believe this is an important thing for humans to consider star this question as important!
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Do Humans Favor Some Animals Over Others?
Posted on August 4, 2011.
While humans do play a part in the lives of other animals on Earth, we often make ourselves a lot more important than we actually are.
“Over 99% of documented species are now extinct” (wikipedia). Several scientists have stated this. After humans are gone, the Earth will still be here. Yes, we morally struggle with how we play a role in it all. However, we need to remember we are one species amongst thousands. As powerful as we are, we, too, are merely mortal.
Americans spend more on pets every year than they do on foreign aid. All the big predators have been hunted to the point of virtual extinction in the Americas. I’D SAY you have a bit of a bias problem over there. As for pandas and baby seals and other cute animals – they will always generate more sympathy than, say frogs and snakes. The ecological role any animal plays is very difficult to calculate. Panda/Bamboo is too simple. There could be any number of parasites and smaller mammals that depend on the panda’s habits that are also affected by its extinction. These will be part of other circles of influence. My pet hate is cats and dogs. In the UK alone domestic cats account for the death of more than 10 million indigenous fauna.
Yes we do and it’s usually an irrational favoritism.
Large predators have been one of the worst persecuted, maligned, demonized and exterminated. All because we can justify it by saying they are ruthless killers. I find it sadly amusing considering the fact that no large predator has ever inflicted even a fraction of the amount of violence and killing that the human race does. These animals kill only to survive, they don’t kill for fun, they don’t start wars, they don’t kill for pleasure, they don’t torture their prey purposely to get pleasure out of it.. humans do all these things and more… including experimenting on other animals and inflicting prolonged suffering in the name of science.
People have to stop placing value on the lives of other animals according to our own whim.. all life is precious and humans are not worth more than any other life on this planet. We are as all the same when it comes down to it.
The problem is that people place more value on some animals than others.. for example Whooping Cranes which were pushed to extinction have been brought back by the dedication of many. Hardly anyone cares.. but try and bring back the wolf and you have several thousand die hard wolf haters screaming for vengeance and blood against an animal that really does nothing wrong. They say wolves kill their livestock.. well duh, we kill our livestock too and in far greater numbers, and under far worse conditions. If we didn’t hunt the wolfs natural prey to the brink and take over all their territory they wouldn’t have to prey on livestock. People label predators as evil, and prey species as “cute” and worth preserving.
It’s sad really, so sad.. that humans are so ignorant, biased and unreasoning especially where predators, insects and other not so “cute” or harmless animals are concerned. But we miss the fact that they are ALL important and they ALL have their role to play in Nature. We do not know better than nature and we never will until we admit our ignorance the killing will continue.
Ah – in some places, yes –