I started this thread because I think it's an important enough topic to warrant a centralized location for discussion. Stories about extinction and such seem to come in drips and drabs, and maybe by giving the subject it's own thread it will be harder for people to ignore the coming calamity


The story that inspired me to post?

The critical status of the Blue Fin Tuna

Now, I love sushi just as much as the next person, but I've never had blue fin sushi and yet still manage to enjoy raw fish with rice and seaweed all the same. I can think of no reason that Japan needs to consume 80% of the black market tuna in the world. Blue Fin doesn't even swim in oceans the Japanese would have historically had access to as they developed sushi in the first place. So it's not part of their culture, it's just a blood thirsty form of gluttony that threatens to drive an entire species of large fish to extinction

Dolphins are not fish, and are therefore not part of the concern when the article talks about 90% of the oceans large fish having been killed

Also, (most species of) dolphin are not endangered. In fact, some are over populated

With that said, I am a long time supporter of protecting dolphins from extinction

While the Panda is a very frustrating animal for anti extinction activists (myself included), I'd have to support continued efforts to ensure it's survival. I mean, honestly, it's the least China can do at this point what with the perpetual campaign of mass poison and death they've been waging on the biosphere for the past 60 years. The Yangtze Dolphin has already fallen victim to the caustic effluence that stains the earth in that misbegotten nation, and it would be morally wrong for China not to do everything in it's power to save the Panda from a similar fate

Large Mammals are some of the most complex living organisms, and they take millions of years to evolve. The panda is not a species that was on it's way out already. It's perfectly adapted to it's environment (bamboo forests). The only reason it's struggling is because human activity has stolen away it's home.

The Panda is such an iconic animal that the Chinese are trying desperately to prop it up given what an indelible stain it's extinction would be on their image. It's something of a national symbol for them, and their rush to modernize might look a bit less glorious to peasants should their mascot bite the dust

So I absolutely support efforts to save it. It's not like the Chinese would be spending that money to protect other native species threatened by their disastrous expansion. The only reason they bother with the panda is because of the shame it would bring to them on the global stage should it disappear. They are obligated to keep trying, IMHO. I can't help but feel that the world would be much poorer if it were to no longer have giant marsupials lazily prowling for sprouts in distant fog shrouded mountains

Even if the eventual fate of the Panda is that of the Tasmanian tiger (the last specimen dying in a chilly damp zoo), the Chinese risk an irreparable loss of face and honor should they not give it their all right up until the day the last panda cells stop dividing

As for Western interest in the panda... yes, there is too much. There are other species that are far more endangered that need attention (the snow leopard, Lonely George, ETC) and are not getting it because of the fact Pandas are cute looking. China should look to the panda, the west should try and focus on the oceans (IMHO) since the east apparently can't be bothered

Thanks, and god, that link is heart breaking. A nation that believes 'bears=medicine' now expects to be treated as a global super power

Truly frightening

I definitely respect his over all point, but the question when it comes to China is not "should China try to save other species instead?" but "should China give up on the Panda and just spend the money building more coal powered electric plants instead?"

Western interest in the panda is another issue, and yes, there is too much

I think some nation should adopt a 'Chinese people are our traditional medicine!' policy just to see how China reacts

And yes, their blood lust for endangered animals is mind boggling. Here is a post I did on that very issue (it features a link to a very depressing article) from the CHINA TOOK FALLOUT 3 WAY TOO SERIOUSLY thread, which I'd been using as an all purpose 'China: WTF?' news story repository till I started this Endangered Species thread

Come on, Vietnam... tiger paste?



There are only a little over 3000 tigers left in the wild, and now we're pasting the ones that remain. I don't mean to get on a high horse of cultural superiority, but it's tragic that so many species are threatened because 'animal consumption power transference magic' is a concept still taken seriously in the east

Hi, I am still on sabbatical*, but as people pointed out, I figured that I owe it to the CHUD-munity(c) to continue on with my duties here at the ENDANGERED SPECIES WATCH THREAD and the CQCC at least. I volunteered to keep people updated on these topics, and I can't just walk away from that. The news doesn't stop just because I am taking a break from the board. There have been some stories that have really bothered me, and I figured you guys should be made aware:

First this story popped up yesterday, where 2000 dead birds fell from the sky for reasons unknown (I don't buy the idea it was fireworks.. if there had been a firework display in the area the birds were found, it would have been specifically mentioned)

Now we're finding out it's not an isolated incident

Right.. fireworks again?

Combined with HUFFPO's above the fold story about bumble bees from Sunday, I have a bad feeling about the future:

Wait.. what? 96% of American bumble bees are gone? There is no way to spin that info so that it's not terrifying. I've noticed the decline in bees in my own back yard just as an observer of the natural world, but seeing a story like this is still a shock. I saw the movie COLLAPSE, and while I think that guy was probably a bit crazy, he makes some salient points. I think if you look at the over all trend of stories about the environment, it feels like there is a coming disaster being pretty much ignored by the media and everyone else. Not all of these stories are directly connected (beyond generally talking about how humans are effecting the environment), but if you read between the lines it seems like a great deal of the biosphere is about to get knocked down for the count



I use a Mark Whalberg jpg for humor, but this does really freak me out to be perfectly frank

*Probably will be back in a month or two, I'm thinking

 

[url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/06/birds-dying-in-italy-thou_n_805541.html] It's 'happened' again[/url]

 

Via Huffpo..

 

[quote] WASHINGTON — First, the blackbirds fell out of the sky on New Year's Eve in Arkansas. In recent days, wildlife have mysteriously died in big numbers: 2 million fish in the Chesapeake Bay, 150 tons of red tilapia in Vietnam, 40,000 crabs in Britain and other places across the world. Blogs connected the deadly dots, joking about the "aflockalypse" while others saw real signs of something sinister, either biblical or environmental.[/quote]

 

[quote] On Wednesday, GeaPress reported hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of dead and dying birds in Italy. Countless turtle doves were found scattered in the streets, in flower beds and hanging tragically from trees "like Christmas balls" in the town of Faenza. Many of the birds that fell dead from the sky were discovered with a mysterious blue stain in their beaks.[/quote]

 

PS Sorry if this post has screwy markup, several features of the NEW CHUD seem to not work with my computer

I regret to inform you that this species is extinct:

 

Via HUFFPO....

 

NINJA BIRD DISCOVERED WITH NUNCHUCK WINGS

 

I'm sorry to have to break the news, but the Western Black Rhino is now officially extinct

 

 

 

 

 

This kind of horseshit makes me furious and sick to my stomach. There is no reason this species had to die. Now till the end of the history, humans will never again walk the earth in it's company. And why? Because we didn't care enough to save it. We declared intangible concepts like "money" to be more important than living creatures. Future generations will not look kindly on our stewardship of the earth

After years of harming the cause of Polar Bears by causing people to think they're not endangered (studies show people think that if they see animals on TV - even in animated form - they are less likely to believe their plight in the wild is dire), they've now betrayed them by turning their back on the new Christmas Can they'd been designing with WWF

 

 

Why did they do this to the bears? Because apparently after designing this can, they decided it looked like a "diet soda"!

The last flock of Whooping Cranes in the world is under mortal threat:

 

 

 

 

But ya know, Beyonce! GOP debates! Let's all pay attention to those important late breaking developments instead. Surely these animals will all still be here a century from now when humans wake up and decide it's time to care

 

 

From the ROAD, on the flight of the last birds the protagonist ever heard:

 

 

Edited by Princess Kate - 1/10/12 at 8:00am

 

My heart is heavy with sadness for these threatened species:

 

 

 

Extinct Giant Tortoise Species That Shaped Darwin's Ideas Could Be Alive On Galapagos Islands

 

 

 

A few individuals may survive on a distant island. If I were in charge, we'd drop everything and assign these species their own secret service details. No joke: such measures could have saved the few remaining Western black rhinos from extinction at the hands of poachers. We as a species simply didn't care enough to save them

 

 

No sooner discovered than declared critically endangered

 

 

 

 

Will this species last out the decade? Not unless we understand that it's value as a living creature is no less than our own