My goal here is not to get Bud to write more, but let's see what happens.
Why the heck are there so many endangered species? I don't think that it's as nefarious as it sounds. Yes, we humans suck, sure, sure. But we're talking about different varieties of bats, here.
How many different types of bats (not different species mind you, but different locales) do they need on the island of Hawaii? Is the Louisiana black bear so much different from one in a northern state? How many different kinds of foxes and ferrets are there in California that we need to single out each one as endangered?
I propose that if there is just one of each distinct fox that is going extinct in California, then they've got enough foxes to repopulate the whole place.
Besides that, what the heck is a Markhor? Have you ever heard of this beast that runs around in Afghanistan? Here are some interesting facts about this very strange animal (stolen from this site):
The markhor climbs trees in search of nutritious leaves. It can be seen standing on a branch of an oak tree 4 - 6m (15 - 20') above the ground, calmly munching.
- The markhor is one of the most desired of all hunting trophies, with the record horn length exceeding 1.5m (60")
- The name markhor is derived from the Persian mar, a snake, and khor, eating. This name is puzzling, since the markhor is a vegetarian, although it has been known to kill snakes.
- Goats such as the markhor are found in the same general areas as various species of sheep. In order to coexist, goats and sheep divide up their habitat so that the goats occupy cliffs and their immediate vicinity, while sheep prefer the plateaus above cliffs and the gently sloping areas below them.
It amuses me that these animals are nearing extinction. I say amuses not because I think it's funny that they're endangered, but I wonder how stupid the people who are native to the same area are.
Think about it. These are animals that graze along side stinking sheep. They're not vicious. They're not deadly. They travel in large herds. I can't imagine that goat meat is more prized than sheep, so the only reason to shoot them would be to take their horns.
It also says in the writeup that they're used in the asian medicine market. Huh? Is someone drying and grinding Markor tongues to distribute as a natural Viagra? Huh? Huh?
You would think that if their horns or body liquids were so prized, then someone would have learned to farm them and remove their horns safely. So what has dropped the average herd size from 100 to 9?
Let's be realistic. These creatures live in the mountains of northwestern India. If the people living there in the highest mountains in the world are hunting goats, it's not because they're making money on the horns, it's because they're hungry. They're not forcing these animals out of their homes, there are barely any people living out there. Will someone please quote a head per square mile figure comparison between markhor and humans in this area? I bet that the beasties have them pretty well beat.
Look, I'm not for the extermination of any of these creatures, but it's time that - as I've said somewhere else on this site - environmentalists start making sense of what they're doing and prioritizing their efforts. Start showing that saving the environment and the creatures that naturally occur in the place as something that everyone might want to do, rather than harping on how we're squandering all of our resources and ridding ourselves of unique species that we'll never see again. Tell use what to do, for pity's sake!
Because you know what they're doing for the poor endangered Markhor?
Nothing.
That's right- squat. Maybe they don't have the resources. But I wonder what's going on when we've got hundreds of critters on the endangered species list (a list that repeats the same species over different breeds and locales) and can't do more to save a Californian fox than plant a few shrubs around some prisons and oil pipelines. Maybe if they could show us why keeping these foxes around is a good idea, we might enjoy doing something to save them. I don't think anyone will say that saving the fox (or Markhor, or whatever) is a bad idea, but I wonder how they expect to motivate anyone to do anything about it when they keep enforcing the idea that we suck.
And there sits the poor Markhor, antlers in the air, head hanging high on the wall over your Saturday night dinner at Longhorn Steak House. Mmm.
