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Wolves howl, birds chirp, I speak in Species - The extinction crisis

Posted on Jul 03 2009 at 03:59AM by The_Naturalist

Hello Everyone, my name is Jerry and I have a story for you to illustrate for you how I am helping to end this crisis.

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Wolves howl, birds chirp, I speak in Species - The extinction crisis

Posted on Jul 03 2009 at 04:04AM by The_Naturalist

I apologize, but it appears my last aatempt to post my message failed, so here it is again.

"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos." - Edward O. Wilson

The quote above never fails to blow my mind. To think if all insects were to disapear, you know, those little annoying creatures that buzz around, ruin picnics, even bite and sting...the one thing most people would want to rid the world of, if they disapeared, the environment would collapse into chaos. I dont know about you, but it makes me think twice before swatting a fly or stepping on an ant. But also, on a more serious note, it makes me realize how much we take this planet for granted.

In my world as an aspiring zoologist, species extinction is a serious problem, and as much of a problem this is, little seem to care. About a year ago, I had given a speech on the importance of wildlife conservation at a rotary club meeting. It was a room full of rich, retired seniors. After loosening up the crowd with a joke of how underdressed I was, I took a moment to reflect on the life and accomplishments of Steve Irwin. I had explained to them the importance of his work and what he had done to better our understanding of life outside of man and had given us ways and reasons to protect it. They seemed confused that I would take time to say such words, and at the end of my presentation, I found out why. As I concluded my speech, I had presented the crowd with the oppurtunity to ask questions. Now I will remind you that my speech was on the importance of wildlife conservation. The first question that was asked happened to be the only questioned asked. It was, "why should I care if some bird that I never heard of goes extinct?" he continued with, "I am 74 years old, and if what you say is true, that species going extinct affects us all, well I have yet to feel anything." As you can probably guess, I became a bit irrated with this man, it was obvious he didnt listen to a thing I siad.

I had responded with a question, I asked him..."Sir, do you have grandchildren?" He responed..."My grandchildren have children, whats your point" I said, "Well sir, you see, although you yourself may not have felt or seen the consquences of this crisis, but I assure you, your grandchildren's children will." "And when they look to find who is responsible, they will look at us, because it is us here and now who must do something, to set an example for generations to come. We continually promise our kin the world, well lets give them a beautiful world, a world they can be proud of, a world they in turn can give their grandchildren's children."

I believe there are two core reasons why we are facing this extinction crisis. The first is lack of education, and the second is lack of compassion. There are very few people in the world who can say the understand the connection between the survival of species and the survival of mankind. To most people, animals are pets, or entertainment. Many do not understand that species paly a major role in our survival. When people in my state got wind of the bee crisis, they couldnt comprehend the direness of the situation, most said they didnt see why everyone was worked up, that bees were everywhere, and plus all they have to offer is honey. Little did they know that if not for bees, we wouldnt have corn, oranges, there wouldnt be anything to eat crop wise. And as for compassion, I can see why many people would find it hard to have compassion for wild animals, most of the time they see them is one TV ripping each other apart, and in rare cases ripping people apart.

In order to solve this problem, we as scientists, activists, or just aware individuals need to educate our neighbors, give them a reason to care about wildlife and forests. We need to get the younger generations involved. How much would it hurt to have a wildlife or environmental club at schools, how much would it hurt to have a community meeting and urge community members to take action, whether its watching their waste or donating to organizations. Im guessing it wouldnt hurt at all. And for those of us who are more well versed in these subject areas, well we need to be the leaders, we need petition government officals, not only in the US but around the world, we need to raise our voices and stand for what we believe in. We need to show the world that this crisis is a serious one and any actions that could help reduce or even eliminate this problem need to be taken now, and although it seems we are on our own, trust me, when one person stands and shines a light in darkness many will follow, because that light promises hope, promises salvation, promises freedom, and my friends our species, our wildlife, our plants our legacies are in the darkness, Let all of us stand and be the light.

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A Hand shake from the US in Species - The extinction crisis

Posted on Jul 03 2009 at 04:13AM by The_Naturalist

Hello there, My Name is Jerry, and I am from the United states. I too am pursuing a career in wildlife conservation, and it seems our two countries have the same problem...a lack of awareness and a lack of compassion. Im here to tell you that I am amazed at your strength and compassion for our fellow creatures and we need more people like you in this world. Hopefully sometime in the near future we'll be living in a world where extinction is no longer a crisis and everyone is aware of the importance of species and their habitats. It was a pleasure to have read your story....~Jerry

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