Read It And Weep...

[cowslip]

Many years ago in Myanmar I was in a Chinese restaurant - fried sparrow was on the menu. Nothing is safe.

I think you should take a look at old English and current Italian cookbooks........sparrows, blackbird egg omelette, it's all there and more.

THe Italian penchant for small birds is in itself an eco-disaster as it ravages in particular populations of migrating birds, they set up huge nets to trap them.

[kblaze]

Death is as natural as life. Nothing is forever, only change. Throughout history, types of animals, humans, plants, etc, have come and gone and it will continue. With an evolving world it is foolish to think everything that exists now will survive the coming changes. There is nothing wrong with trying to keep species alive, as long as the total cost of the conservation is reasonable or there is some compelling benefit to be had. I do think we should be aware of which species are endangered.

However, I don't think we should be weeping for species that go extinct, otherwise your eyes will never dry. Instead, we should appreciate the time we have with them. It pains me when I see more focus and public awareness on the loss of certain flower species than when the final speaker of an ancient language dies (happens all the time).

THis is the sort of post I read and weep..........I'm afraid it seems the poster doesn't understand the fist thing about the issues involved.....we are not talking about a single species being kept sp we can look at it...this is a sysptom of the state of the planet. Read up!

evolution and extinction is quite normal process....however the rate of extinctions is now estimated to be higher than at any time in natural history with the possible exception of the dinosaurs - i.e. it is the next thing down form apocalyptic proportions.

"this is a symptom of the state of the planet". Yes, I agree it is, this is the state the planet has always been in. Change is inevitable, including the change in the rate of extinction. We can try to slow it, but as the dinosaurs, ice ages, etc have shown...things will come and go. The next time you see that little yellow frog, or that wondrous orchid, pause and take an extra moment to appreciate its beauty because this too shall pass..Yes I know I am a bit of a downer..

[TwoDogz]

Death is as natural as life. Nothing is forever, only change. Throughout history, types of animals, humans, plants, etc, have come and gone and it will continue. With an evolving world it is foolish to think everything that exists now will survive the coming changes. There is nothing wrong with trying to keep species alive, as long as the total cost of the conservation is reasonable or there is some compelling benefit to be had. I do think we should be aware of which species are endangered.

However, I don't think we should be weeping for species that go extinct, otherwise your eyes will never dry. Instead, we should appreciate the time we have with them. It pains me when I see more focus and public awareness on the loss of certain flower species than when the final speaker of an ancient language dies (happens all the time).

Crazy comparison...a flower, can be enjoyed by all.

The last speaker of a language cannot even talk to himself, so whats the point.

[cooked]

Let's hope that the human species manages to 'extinct' itself as rapidly as possible so that the planet can get on with life. What's a few million years? Unfortunately they seem intent on taking as many other species with them as possible.

Let's look forward to a plastic strewn landscape with undrinkable water, no flowers, no butterflies, no joy, shall we? We should be able to survive in that for a few thousand years. Every time a plant or insect or animal disappears, the eco-system that it is a part of is radically changed or destroyed. Making a fuss about the disappearance of a plant isn't about 'pretty flowers', it is about the mentality of people that think it doesn't matter.

[bangkokburning]

We are all.doomed and with us will see an earth that looks more like a landfill and stripmine, a wasteland dotted with oil rig, chemical brownsites and radioactive wastelands.

Like a battered wife, the earth will simply accept its fate and time will march ever onward.

Humans have shown their ability to live in the most digusting situations. Much like rats and cockroaches.

[cowslip]

THe argument that one issue overrides another and therefore voids that issue is a totally facile point to make.

e.g never mind about the Javan rhino what about the orphans in Africa, never mind the orphans in Africa what about the crime in California? and so on......

Life is not a matter of dealing with one issue at a time - frequently you find there is a connection anyway.

Edited September 14, 2012 by cowslip

[I Like Thai]

I think every wild creature in Thailand is endangered and no Im not joking. Not like the rest of Asia is any better.

They're just catching up with the West

rather than "caching up" wouldn't it be better first to learn form the mistakes of the west and then take a leaf out of the wealth of scientific research and knowledge the West has subsequently developed?

it's available to all.

I think for the reasons above it is terribly sad that someone on this thread couldn't see the relationship of this list to Thailand - it shows that extreme ignorance of how the lackadaisical attitude of Thailand affects ALL conservation is not restricted to Thai people alone. .... the issues are not restricted by national barriers and Thailand's inactivity on this subject is lamentable

In typical Western Fashion, Westerners like to point at the flaws of Asia whilst holding themselves up as shining examples of righteousness. Blinded by their own sense of superiority, they can't allow their minds to consider that the West is at least equal if not worse that any other place in the world.

This is a list of EXTINCT animals in Americas not too distant past.

Recent extinctions (1500 CE to present)

• Antillean Cave Rat
  
• Insular Cave Rat Heteropsomys insulans, 1600s
  
• Corozal Rat
  
• Eastern Cougar Puma concolor couguar, 2011
  
• Puerto Rican Shrew Nesophontes edithae. 1600s
  
• Puerto Rican Long-nosed Bat Monophyllus frater
  
• Puerto Rican Long-tongued Bat
  
• Lesser Puerto Rican Ground Sloth
  
• Sherman's Pocket Gopher
  
• Goff's Pocket Gopher Geomys pinetis goffi
  
• Tacoma Pocket Gopher Thomomys mazama tacomensis
  
• Giant Deer Mouse
  
• Pallid Beach Mouse Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus, 1959
  
• Gull Island Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus, 1897
  
• Louisiana Vole
  
• Puerto Rican Hutia Isolobodon portoricensis
  
• Puerto Rican Paca
  
• Lesser Puerto Rican Agouti
  
• Greater Puerto Rican Agouti
  
• Sea Mink Mustela macrodon, 1860
  
• Caribbean Monk Seal Monachus tropicalis, 1952
  
• Steller's Sea Cow Hydrodamalis gigas, 1768
  
• Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit subpopulation of Pygmy Rabbit
  
• Arizona Wapiti
  
• Colorado Hog-nosed Skunk
  
• Smith Island Cottontail
  
• Allen's Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
  
• Banks Island Wolf Canis lupus bernardi, 1920
  
• Cascade Mountains Wolf Canis lupus fuscus, 1940
  
• Antillean Giant Rice Rat
  
• Eastern Elk Cervus canadensis canadiensis, 1887
  
• Merriam's Elk Cervus canadensis merriami, 1913
  
• Arizona Jaguar Panthera onca arizonensis, 1905
  
• Tule Shrew Sorex ornatus juncensis, 1905
  

Recent extinctions (1500 CE to present)

• Labrador Duck
  
• Heath Hen
  
• Cuban Red Macaw Ara tricolor, 1860s
  
• Spectacled Cormorant
  
• Atitlán Grebe
  
• Bermuda Night Heron
  
• Virgin Islands Screech-Owl
  
• Mauge's Parakeet
  
• Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis
  
• Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius
  
• Guadalupe Caracara
  
• Bahaman Barn Owl
  
• Brace's Emerald
  
• Gould's Emerald
  
• Great Auk
  
• Grand Cayman Thrush Turdus ravidus
  
• Dusky Seaside Sparrow Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens
  
• Guadeloupe Burrowing Owl Speotyto cunicularia guadeloupensis
  
• Guadeloupe Parakeet Aratinga labati (18th century)
  
• Guadeloupe Parrot Amazona violacea (1779)
  
• Lesser Antillean Macaw Ara guadeloupensis (1760)
  
• Martinique House Wren Troglodytes aedon martinicensis
  
• Martinique Parrot Amazona martinicana (1779)
  
• Slender-billed Grackle Quiscalus palustris
  

Possibly Extinct

• Guadalupe Storm-petrel
  
• Bachman's Warbler
  
• Eskimo Curlew
  
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker
  
• Imperial Woodpecker
  
• Semper's Warbler
  

Endangered Mammals of North America**

Mammals Common Name Range *** Amargosa Vole California American Bison Canada Bighorn Sheep California Brown Bear China (Tibet), Italy, Mexican Holarctic Cougar North and Central America Giant Kangaroo Rat California Gray Wolf Mexico, United States Hualapai Mexican Vole Arizona Jaguar Arizona, California, Central and South America, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Texas Jaguarundi Arizona, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Texas Mantled Howler Monkey Mexico to South America Margay Central and South America, Mexico Mexican Bobcat Central Mexico Ocelot USA (Arizona, Texas) to Central and South America Pygmy Rabbit USA - Columbia Basin DPS Red Wolf USA (SE US, west to central Texas) Steller Sea-lion Alaska, California, Canada, North Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Russia, Washington Townsend's Big-eared Bat Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia Vaquita Mexico (Gulf of California) West Indian Manatee Caribbean Sea, South America, Southeastern USA

They need to take a leaf out of the wealth of scientific research and knowledge the West has subsequently developed?

Don't make me laugh

Edited September 14, 2012 by I Like Thai

[payak]

what about if they taste good, hard to resist

[cowslip]

Unfortunately it is the west that has noted the processes and cataloged and researched the causes and rates of extinctions

It is the west that has educated its children to the situation - many "developing" countries' populaces are quite oblivious to the facts and are needlessly heading down the same path without learning the lessons of the west. Do we really need to repeat the whole exercise when we know so many of the answers now?

PS - I'm not often called "western"

Edited September 14, 2012 by cowslip

[cowslip]

"They need to take a leaf out of the wealth of scientific research and knowledge the West has subsequently developed?

Don't make me laugh"

I think this is a rather facile remark.......

THe fact that there is a list at all is down to lengthy research by scientists and conservationist who spend lifetimes campaigning. In Thailand it is not fully kno=wn even with Apex predators like the Leopard and Tiger how many there are.

furthermore national parks in the West are far more secure and well managed than here -

Edited November 9, 2012 by cowslip

[robblok]

"They need to take a leaf out of the wealth of scientific research and knowledge the West has subsequently developed?

Don't make me laugh"

I think this is a rather facile remark.......

THe fact that there is a list at all is down to lengthy research by scientists and conservationist who spend lifetimes campaigning. In Thailand it is not fully kno=wn even with Apex predators like the Leopard and Tiger how many there are.

furthermore national parks in the West are far more secure and well managed than here -

True in the West things are managed better, but we screwed up pretty badly before. Could say we are responsible for more extinct species as any other part of the world.

In my country now the rivers are cleaner as ever and species are returning. But you cant expect Asia to do the same they are in a different stage of their development. Too many poor people still money is king now. You can't expect them to care for animals before people. It would be nice but you are expecting them to be better as us. Because we did the same thing at that stage.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

The only effective solution to halt the near-total destruction of the environment is mass extermination of most of humanity.

Unfortunately I think the more likely scenario is the latter happening as a result of the former.

Hopefully well after my grandkids have passed on.

[robblok]

The only effective solution to halt the near-total destruction of the environment is mass extermination of most of humanity.

Unfortunately I think the more likely scenario is the latter happening as a result of the former.

Hopefully well after my grandkids have passed on.

I agree with your pessimistic view.. too many humans that is the problem. In the West much nature is gone already. In other parts nobody is going to stop the growth of the human population. China had a nice attempt.

[canman]

Let's hope that the human species manages to 'extinct' itself as rapidly as possible so that the planet can get on with life. What's a few million years? Unfortunately they seem intent on taking as many other species with them as possible.

Let's look forward to a plastic strewn landscape with undrinkable water, no flowers, no butterflies, no joy, shall we? We should be able to survive in that for a few thousand years. Every time a plant or insect or animal disappears, the eco-system that it is a part of is radically changed or destroyed. Making a fuss about the disappearance of a plant isn't about 'pretty flowers', it is about the mentality of people that think it doesn't matter.

OK, You first.

[cooked]

Let's hope that the human species manages to 'extinct' itself as rapidly as possible so that the planet can get on with life. What's a few million years? Unfortunately they seem intent on taking as many other species with them as possible.

Let's look forward to a plastic strewn landscape with undrinkable water, no flowers, no butterflies, no joy, shall we? We should be able to survive in that for a few thousand years. Every time a plant or insect or animal disappears, the eco-system that it is a part of is radically changed or destroyed. Making a fuss about the disappearance of a plant isn't about 'pretty flowers', it is about the mentality of people that think it doesn't matter.

OK, You first.

Nice moment you chose, found out this morning that I have a malignant melanoma. I still stand by what I said, the best thing that can happen to this planet is the eradication of humanity.

[canman]

Let's hope that the human species manages to 'extinct' itself as rapidly as possible so that the planet can get on with life. What's a few million years? Unfortunately they seem intent on taking as many other species with them as possible.

Let's look forward to a plastic strewn landscape with undrinkable water, no flowers, no butterflies, no joy, shall we? We should be able to survive in that for a few thousand years. Every time a plant or insect or animal disappears, the eco-system that it is a part of is radically changed or destroyed. Making a fuss about the disappearance of a plant isn't about 'pretty flowers', it is about the mentality of people that think it doesn't matter.

OK, You first.

Nice moment you chose, found out this morning that I have a malignant melanoma. I still stand by what I said, the best thing that can happen to this planet is the eradication of humanity.

Bad timing indeed. I do sincerly hope that you have caught the melanoma in time. I certainly did not intend to offend.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Nice moment you chose, found out this morning that I have a malignant melanoma. I still stand by what I said, the best thing that can happen to this planet is the eradication of humanity.

Well not the best, that would be a revolution of consciousness where we start fulfilling our intended role as caretakers, voluntarily reduce our numbers and/or consumption/spoiling of resources and start to look after the place for future generations.

However I agree that's unlikely given the observable trends.

[impulse]

what about a honest bar girl,now there's an endangered species

Kinda like unicorns, though. If they never existed, can they be endangered?

[bonobo]

Not Thailand-related, despite comments that if animals are endangered elsewhere, they can be endangered here, too.

//CLOSED//