Farmers vs. Lions: A Battle to the Death in Kenya:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1989669,00.html
This story is sad. To me, this outlines yet another example that human over-population on this planet will destroy it long before space aliens, asteroids hurtling towards us, bad pop music or even the dreaded global warming.
A country of 40 million, where many are poor and starving, murdering some of the very creatures that make this planet so great is disgusting to me. No – I don’t want to hear what about them? Or they need to farm and eat. Or any other BS crap. Over-population. Period. Humans are ruining the planet. Not the animals who are just trying to survive. Stop breeding people. Just fracking stop. Frankly, I just don’t care as much about human life since we/they are the ones who create these problems to begin with. Yes, I know this makes me sound heartless. I’m not. But I think the world needs more lions, tigers and bears and less humans using up all of the planet’s resources.
And this happens in here is the US as well. And here – it’s more of a business situation. Ranchers have long killed wolves, to the point of near extinction, because a cow or a sheep is killed. Perhaps on a rare occasion that rancher’s existence depended on that 1 cow. But not too likely. Which is why Defenders of Wildlife did put in a program where they will compensate a rancher for lost livestock due to a wolf so that they don’t kill them. By all reports, this program works. Market price for what you lost.
But you still have Idaho and Alaska that re-instituted wolf hunts based on lame-ass reasons. Those 2 states will never get 1 tourist dollar from me while hunting wolves or bears is still allowed. And no – I do not blame Sarah Palin for that. Sorry. That was in place in AK before she was elected AND voted on by the voters of Alaska. She is simply an easy target for the animal welfare groups (who I do generally support but disagree with on these campaigns.) Not to say she doesn’t support the plan as well or that I like her. Just not going to paint her as the first or only villain in this atrocity. That’s just stupid.
The world needs more beauty. Humans can create beauty. But quite a lot of them create nothing but chaos and ugliness. These lions, and all other living things on this planet, deserve a better keeper of this home than humans can seem to provide…
1:56 pm on May 21st, 2010
You know I was watching an interview with Fred Pearce whose new book is called “The Coming Population Crash” – and according to Pearce the birthrate is falling around the globe. He seems quite optimistic – but maybe that was just a marketing angle for his book. Who knows. At some point birthrates may level off but for the time being the problem of overpopulation exists and that struggle between man vs. animal (a struggle that the animals can never win because they are just out there trying to survive) Everyone knows lions only kill for food – unlike humans.
I like the idea of increasing conservation areas – but there certainly needs something in place to keep the areas operating when the original donors pass on.
I don’t know if education even works at this point – as you say look at how North Americans continue to hunt wild animals for sport. That is utterly disgusting to me.
2:02 pm on May 21st, 2010
Here’s hoping he is right..unfortunately I’ve only read that it’s is slowing in parts of North America and Europe but not in the already heavily over-populated poor countries where they can not afford it already. Meh.
Sport hunting should only be done if the prey is humans such as pedophiles and rapists. Or, no guns or arrows or any weapons. Just human vs the bear/wolf/lion – guess who will win…the ones with 4 legs and big teeth/claws. Notice how that kind of “sport” is not popular…
2:08 pm on May 21st, 2010
Ha! You could have taught the Ancient Romans a thing or two about proper use of lions in the Arena. ;)