Let pandas die out, says noted naturalist

[IDemo]

Money better spent protecting species with better chance, he argues

Reuters -updated 4:03 p.m. MT, Tues., Sept . 22, 2009

LONDON - Conservationists should "pull the plug" on giant pandas and let them die out, according to BBC presenter and naturalist Chris Packham.

"Here's a species that, of its own accord, has gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac," Packham told Radio Times magazine.

Packham believes that money spent on conserving the panda would be better invested in other animals as the species is not strong enough to survive alone.

"It's not a strong species. Unfortunately it's big and cute and it's a symbol of the WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) — and we pour millions of pounds into panda conservation," he added.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32974370/ns/world_news-world_environment/

[Buzz Clik]

1. There are many species like that. The Whooping Crane comes to mind.

We take care of them because we choose to. If Packham wants to support some other species or habitats or whatever, he should.

[HotJohnee]

2. NOO

SAVE THE PANDAS!!!

[kristopher]

9. Isn't that what he is doing?

Your remark indicates that you object to his position but can't find a mistake in the reasoning...

[elocs]

3. Posted at 5 a.m. this morning:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4072849

Yesterday morning too:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6605113

[TlalocW]

4. Reminds me of a cartoon

TlalocW

[HamdenRice]

7. I have zero understanding of that cartoon. nt

[TlalocW]

8. Well... It's kind of hard to understand on a couple levels

First off, the main character who's diving into the ocean is kind of a-live-by-your-own-rules-no-matter-what type and for some reason wants to fight a dolphin. The blue guy is not a regular in the strip - that's Captain Planet, which was a cartoon on the Turner networks in the early 90s, I think. A group of multi-ethnic kids called the Planeteers would summon him into existence with their magic rings that represented Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and finally Heart. So, since the kid with the Heart ring left, Captain Planet just doesn't give a damn anymore is the joke. The strip is wrong though - the kid who had the Heart ring wasn't Mexican but South American, but that could be another level of the joke of Captain Planet not caring.

Also notice the pose and the sound-effect. Captain Planet is apparently getting ready to take a leak outside.

TlalocW

[HamdenRice]

12. OK kinda get it now nt

[TlalocW]

10. Here's another cartoon that parodies it... With Evolution!

http://queenofwands.net/d/20031208.html

TlalocW

[phantom power]

5. Pandas may be an evolutionary cul-de-sac...

but the fact is the thing that's killing them off is us, and our behavior, and our decisions. These extinctions have a moral dimension to them because we are involved.

I'm trying to think of an appropriate analogy. Bashing Tiny Tim's head in, putting him on life support, and then saying "Hey, he wasn't a strong specimen. A cul-de-sac. We should just pull the plug."

[kristopher]

11. What about other species that will become extinct?

Granting human culpability.

However the fact exists that the pace of extinction events caused by a certain group of factors is outstripping the ability of the group of people trying to intercede.

I don't see a significant change in that tableau, do you?

Given that reality, shouldn't your analogy actually be one where Pretty Polly Panda and Anonymous Annie Unknown and all of her other Anonymous Friends have all been bashed in the head - and we only have one hospital bed. Pretty Polly cannot live without ongoing life support, but Anonymous Annie and many of her friends will recover if we give each of them the bed for a week.

Triage.

[phantom power]

13. Yes, triage arguments are (sadly) warranted.

A triage argument might be "Pandas are not a robust species, and since we have limited resources to spread around, we may need to prioritize and let the pandas go extinct to increase the odds of saving some other species."

I think specifically I did not care for the phrase "of their own accord" for a couple reasons. One is that no species evolves "of its own accord" as if it were a bad decision they made. The second is that it lends the argument a subtext that "hey it's not our fault. It's the pandas fault."

It's on our hands, and I hope we humans keep that in mind as we triage our way through our splendid holocene extinction.

[pscot]

6. "Let noted naturalist die out"says irritated DU poster

"Chris Packhamm has wandered into an evolutionary cul de sac of his own making," said pissed off DUer pscot. "Clearly he has his head so far up his ass that it can't be extracted without an expensive procedure which is likely to leave him brain dead. Let's save a few bucks. Kick the asshole to the curb and move on."

[AdHocSolver]

14. You could say the same thing about homo sapiens that he says about pandas. n/t n/t

[Kablooie]

15. Time to let the hunters cull the herd, I say!

What?

You're talking about PANDAS?

I thought you meant baby seals.


nevermind.