Why should humans take responsibility for endangered animals?

[dimensionless]

It may be a stupid question, but it's real, and I can't come up with any good reasons to why should we save endangered animals. Any ideas?

F.ex, Would anything important happen if there were no grizzly bears?

It might depend on the species. I imagine extinction of bumble bees would have a large environmental impact.

Polar bears are the moment are headed for certain extinction. Because they can cross breed with grizzlies there extinction might be buffered. I wonder if the ability to cross breed might permit the species to dwindle for hundreds of years and then rebound if the temperature gets low enough. Or maybe they will pick up some traits from grizzlies that will allow them to survive in a warmer climate. I'm just speculating though.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A new genetically distinct species of hammerhead shark, the ninth recognized species of hammerhead, has been discovered off the South Carolina coast, scientists say.

The new species appears to be rare...[continued]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_New_Shark.html

...and is or will be on the list of endangered species.

 

[SylviaPixie]

why should we save the endangered animals? that's a really good question? Most people don't really care about the animals and they think that they are less then them when really animals should be treated equally like humans. Us people and some nature diseaters are the reasons why the animals are endangered. we take away their homes because we are making homes for us, buildings to work in, malls to shop and hang out, parks, roads and etc. we kill them for their skin and fur for fashion. we use their flesh to have food. we use their bones or horns for medical things in other places in the world. we use the animals more then we ever thinnk we do. We use them for experaments for make up products, house hold products and etc. We are the biggest predators in the animal kingdom. we need to save the animals because they never asked to get all this torture and killing. they don't know that when they are born they would go through all this and then have the worst moments of their lives before they are going to die. that's why we should save the animals. Because they have rights as much as we do to live on this planet!

 

[Integral]

We simply do not have the depth of knowledge required to declare a species as superfluous. A key to a strong ecosystem is biodiversity. Traditionally man has tried to simplify the environment he lives in. The simpler things are the better we can control. Unfortunately, we may be destabilizing the ecosystem by reducing the number of species. A reduced ecosystem is more susceptible to catastrophe.

We just do not know what species hold a key to the next major advance in medicinal chemicals. Who knows maybe the cure for cancer lies in Tiger dung. Be kind of frustrating to make such a discovery just as the last of the species dies.

 

[jackmell]

A lot of you want to save them from what I read. I do not. I personally believe life, this planet, and Nature would be better off if we more embrace survival of the fittest. If polar bears can't make it in the current (man-dominated) environment, that's just tough and if the extinction of one or more species causes some catastrophe, then fine with me. Life was built on catastrophies. Same I believe should hold for every other species on Earth including H.sapiens. But we don't do this do we. We save everything in sight and at the same time, preserve the unfit genotypes they contain which in turn manifests in many, many of the ills plaguing this planet at present. Hail the fit gene and I am a Darwinist.

Just putting my opinion in the pot. That's all.

 

[mgb_phys]

Hail the fit gene and I am a Darwinist.

But you still have your tetanus shots

I welcome our viral overlords.

 

[jackmell]

But you still have your tetanus shots

I welcome our viral overlords.

Good point and no doubt you and others could bring up similar ideas. It wouldn't change my extreme Darwinist opinion about the matter though: hail the strong, hail the fighter, hail the warrior, hail the survivor.

I do now wish to get in trouble in here. I see way too many strike-outs. If this is distasteful, I can easily shut up.

 

[mgb_phys]

Some famous naturalist was being interviewed about how man was the dominant species and what effect we were having on the planet and other animals. His reply wasn't quite what the newsreader was expecting, from memory something like:

We aren't in charge, bacteria are, it's their planet - always has been - always will be.
We don't even figure in their world - all other life just scrapes by on their waste products.
They thrived in a reducing CO atmosphere, thrived in an oxidizing O2 atmosphere, lived on a frozen planet and an almost molten one. There's nothing we can do a the planet that would even mildly inconvenience bacteria.

 

[svetocha]

first we come along and kill them all next we take their skin/fur/tusk/whatever and sell them to get money. then we cut/burn/bury their habitat and drive them out. then we catch the ones left and stick them in cages to earn more money. now they are all dying out in god knows where and you ask why we should help them? because the reason they are even endangered is all our fault. that's why. sometimes i am ashamed to be a human