My first topic is ironic, given the beginning of this blog, and one I've seen very little of in the American press: the extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin.
R.I.P.
24,997,993 BCE to 2007 AD
As reported by the Daily Telegraph here,
The grey white, long-beaked animal is the world's first cetacean -the order of whales, dolphins and porpoises -to be made extinct by man...
The demise of the near-blind mammal also represents the first extinction of a large vertebrate (backboned animal) for more than 50 years, since overhunting claimed the Caribbean monk seal in the 1950s. A zoologist said it was a "shocking tragedy."
As Dr. Sam Turvey, the lead author of the paper that discovered the extinction, put it:
"The loss of such a unique and charismatic species is a shocking tragedy. The Yangtze River dolphin was a remarkable mammal that separated from all other species over 20m years ago.
"This extinction represents the disappearance of a complete branch of the evolutionary tree of life and emphasises that we have yet to take full responsibility in our role as guardians of the planet."
What made the Yangtze River dolphin so cool? Well, it was called the Goddess of the Yangtze and mentioned in myths. It also had a highly developed sonar that compensated for the murkiness of the water, which was effectively blinded by human traffic on the river.
Dr. Turvey highlights the fact that China needs to step up its conservation methods, but how much hope is there in the near future for animals in a country that just recently exported poisonous pet food?
If China wants to compete in a global market and raise themselves up to our standard of living, they're going to have to start ensuring that they keep not only their workers safe, but their wildlife too. And the world would be well-advised to encourage them where necessary, and help them as well, since China seems to be having a bit of trouble when it comes to planning ahead and avoiding disatrous unintended consequences.
(If they didn't, I wouldn't be afraid of buying cheap toothpaste.)
3 comments:
Oh no! (I'm sure you're shocked to learn that I hate to loose any dolphin species.)
Douglas Adams wrote about these dolphins in Last Chance to See (his only non-fiction book). To say I'm saddened is an understatement.
Is it possible to boycott China in today's economy? I'm contemplating trying.
I think to boycott China would be a great feat. You'd have to buy either American-made products (good luck finding them!), or fancy European things that weren't shipped off to China for production. Or maybe you could get things from Taiwan and Korea?
That's almost a feat I'd try just to write about, if only I had the money...
Actually, Someone wrote a book about trying to live without China for a year and how difficult it is. I saw them being interviewed on CNN one morning. Might be worth reading.
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