Abandon the pandas?

[BigShot]

Just read the article, and while "he has a point" I'd like to respond to his wish for human extinction with a hearty "After you, mate!"

One of the stupidest things some people into conservation and eco-issues sometimes say.

 

[Tengu]

Me too.

Humans must be the only spiecies who hates themselves.

 

[Matt.S]

Large scale farming is geared to supermarkets. Quick to reach slaughter, bland uninteresting products that look good on the shelf and last.

Take pretty much anything you find in a supermarket and you'll be about 99%* sure to find a rarer variety that tastes about 500%* better.

Today yes, but cattle have been husbanded since long before supermarkets existed. I've never heard of panda farms.

 

[leon-1]

Today yes, but cattle have been husbanded since long before supermarkets existed. I've never heard of panda farms.

Now is that a case of they taste awfull, that those rather cute looking bears are actually a damned sight more dangerous than they look or both

The fate of Pandas in the wild is not assured, there have been a number of other animals that have come back from a greater decline in numbers inclusive of the Southern White Rhino who was at one stage numbered as having only 50 in the first decade of 20th century left in the world, but are now classed as the most abundant rhino in the world with numbers estimated as being just under 17,500 at the end of 2007.

Both the black and the northern white rhino are looking at being totally extinct (there are actually 8 northern white rhino in captivity which is in fact double that which are in the wild) and the western black rhino had an estimated 10 left in 2006.

In the end if people are willing to put the time and the money in to save these animals who are we to say any differently.

Blame is easy to apportion, solutions are harder to find and those people who are willing to put the time and effort into finding solutions should be given our respect even if we don't believe fully in what they are doing will solve the issue.

At least they are trying.

 

[BigShot]

Matt
I said that in response to the comment about "rare breeds" and taste.
You usually hear about "rare breeds" in terms of cattle like White Park and Lincoln Red, or pigs like Middle White and British Lop.

They've become rare thanks to the homogenisation of the food market by supermarkets and the utterly brain dead way this country tends to shop for it.


The panda, on the other hand, is endangered because of habitat loss. They shouldn't need husbanding.


Also, considering that in general we only eat a couple of percent of plants and animals that are truly edible (and not just in a "keeps body and soul together" way) to us - I'm not so sure husbandry is really a good marker for what's worth saving and what's not.


Tengu
Maybe lemmings? I dunno.


Leon
Agreed. It's scary how few of some things there are left. You have to wonder if 12 northern white rhino is even enough for a viable population to result if the numbers can be made to increase.

 

[Bothwell_Craig]

I really admire Chris and yes he has a point. Where do we stop though?

 

[tobes01]

What worries me is that pandas seem to be biologically incapable of breeding, yet chavs are so d*mned good at it. Someone up there's got a wickedly dark sense of humour...

 

[eraaij]

I heard they respond well to Kung-Fu lessons..

The problem with the nursing stuff is that there is hardly any need for them to pick up reproduction themselves. I would surely be ****** off if I had scientists watch my back on every step I took. I probably would not reproduce either..

If there is enough habitat for them and they can't manage it - time for them to go. Plenty of animals in need that seem to be more motivated than them. But - they might surprise us if we just left them alone in a huge reserve. Strict poaching patrols off course spring to mind.

 

[Wayland]

There's an equally valid argument against a lot of rare breed farm animals too. The reason the breeds are rare is because they are difficult to breed and therefore uneconomical.

I disagree here.

Most rare farm breeds have been replaced by more commercial breeds, faster growing, more milk, more meat etc.

That does not mean the product obtained is necessarily better, just more commercial. It also does not mean they are more difficult to breed.

Rare breeds often have better weather or disease resistance or can forage on different fodder and land types.

As the need grows for more marginal land types to be used for food production it may become very important that the genetic characteristics of older breeds are still available in the future.

 

[leon-1]

Leon
Agreed. It's scary how few of some things there are left. You have to wonder if 12 northern white rhino is even enough for a viable population to result if the numbers can be made to increase.

They along with members of the black rhino family have already been classed as being extinct, but there are still people out there who believe that they can rescue a sub-species by a relative introduction of it's nearest relative (the southern white) to stop degradation of the gene pool through inbreeding.

Fair play and good luck to them.

 

[m.durston]

its an unfortunate state of affairs that pandas are dying out but i would have to agree with sapper1 and say that we should let them die out and try to save something worthwhile like the blue whale.
sods law dictates if we dont try to save the whales now in 300 years time some weird alien UFO is going to try to destroy the earth because we hunted its brethren to extinction, much like what happened in star trek IV.

 

[Colin.W]

I expected there to be uproar about this, but the consensus so far is that panda bears are only slightly more useful then a smack head!

unfortunately the smack heads still manage to breed though

 

[BigShot]

leon-1
I didn't know they were using other species to interbreed. Seems like a good idea.

Maybe we can't have pure-bred anymore but it's better to have something than nothing.