danger world :: essays research papers

I cannot significantly improve on the assertion that it simply is proper for us, as intelligent members of the universe, to try to look after our fellow creatures, and evil for us to do otherwise. -- Colin Tudge, 1992 Last Animals at the Zoo Endangerment is everyone's problem. This Expedition presents an ample cross-section of the conservation challenges we are facing. However, trying to understand how the natural world operates is never an easy task. The effort to do so has been compared to watching a celestial chess game, played by the gods. We are allowed to watch games in progress, but the gods haven't given us the rule book. All we can do is try to make sense of the play by following the fate of individual pieces and working out the rules from there. For example, experience suggests that a species that was formerly widespread, but is now limited to a few individuals living in isolated pockets, is very probably in crisis. Unless something radical is done, in all likelihood this species will shortly disappear. But what, exactly, do we need to do? Tremendous efforts have been mounted to stabilize declining populations of species believed to be in imminent danger of extinction. In some cases, intervention and careful management have brought species back from the brink of extinction (see Bald Eagle, and American Bison). In other cases, despite enormous investments of time, money, and expertise, the species remain perched on a razor's edge (see California Condor). I cannot significantly improve on the assertion that it simply is proper for us, as intelligent members of the universe, to try to look after our fellow creatures, and evil for us to do otherwise. -- Colin Tudge, 1992 Last Animals at the Zoo Endangerment is everyone's problem. This Expedition presents an ample cross-section of the conservation challenges we are facing. However, trying to understand how the natural world operates is never an easy task. The effort to do so has been compared to watching a celestial chess game, played by the gods. We are allowed to watch games in progress, but the gods haven't given us the rule book. All we can do is try to make sense of the play by following the fate of individual pieces and working out the rules from there. For example, experience suggests that a species that was formerly widespread, but is now limited to a few individuals living in isolated pockets, is very probably in crisis.