Would a vegan support the extermination of an...?!
PS, no straw men please.
Answers: Would a vegan support the extermination of an invasive species because the invasive species would destroy the ecosystem (the invasive species would out compete the indigenous species and thus cause them to die)?
PS, no straw men please.
That's an interesting dilemma. History is rife with examples of people introducing non-native plant and animal species into an ecosystem. To be honest with you, I don't know. It would depend on the situation. Good question though.
On a related note, I've also wondered about the ethics of introducing predators into an environment to control a certain species (whether it's ladybugs to control aphids or wolves to control elk). Does it make a difference if those prey were there courtesy of human beings or not? There are so many ifs and buts, it is impossible and also illogical to be a 'true vegan' in the real sense, unless one becomes a hermit.
By the way, 'extermination' might be too harsh; 'control' might seem more appropriate.
Also, the invasive species need not be predatory...non-predatory species can cause just as much ecological havoc by outcompeting the native ones.
I think vegans have to walk a fine line between kindness and cold, hard science. That means saying no to unnecessary killing and animal exploitation, but also facing the truth that nature is harsh.
Hypocrisy works both ways though...I've watched these YouTube videos of lions hunting buffalo or zebra and getting their butts kicked (most of the time, lions do get their butts kicked), and most of the comments expressed glee. I don't think they were vegetarians by any means, so it's rather illogical.
Totally, you have to weight the odds.
Exterminating a small predatory foreign species to maintain the balance of an ecosystem preserve the native plant and animal life.
It is a no brainier.
I certainly wouldn't participate in the extermination, however I would feel comfortable turning a blind eye to it.
I might. It depends.
For instance: Are they fluffy and cute? Highly intelligent? Able to reason? Violent or peaceful? Have diplomatic means been exhausted?
Are we talking about an "invasive species" that came here, out competed you in the workplace and took your jobs and married your women?
Or are we talking about a fungus, insect or rodent?
If it's the latter, for the sake of the planet, you have my permission to exterminate.
oh you mean like humans? like how humans destroy the ecosystem? so like, exterminate the human species?
check out the extinction spike of other species in the last 150 years since industrialization and see just exactly how invasive the human species is.
if you would take the human species off the freakin pedestal you would have realized that this is a ridiculous question to ask as a member of the most invasive species on the planet.
god i hate anthropocentrism.
and just so we are clear, this isn't a straw man either, because your question allowed for this. no misrepresentation of your question here.
I think it depends...
are veg*ns really nihilists?
I'd be more worried about the meat eaters than the vegetarians.
So what? We face that in Australia already and have done so for many decades - rabbits, foxes, domestic cats and dogs gone feral, camels, water buffalo, starlings, blackbirds, sparrows, mynas, rats, mice, crown-of-thorns starfish, carp, European wasps, prickly pears, cane toads - they're all better at competing for the available food, water, living space, etc. than the native species are. What can you do? With rabbits, you give them myxomatosis and that heavily reduces their numbers for a few decades, then they start to reach plague proportions again, once they've become immune. So next you "accidentally" let calicivirus out of a laboratory, and that wipes out a lot of them again. They'll become immune to that one eventually too.
I'm not quite vegan, but slowly heading that way. But, quite frankly, I have no sympathy for introduced vermin whatsoever.
Not a vegan, but invasives are a threat to everyone no matter what their diet. We need to worry the most about plants at this point though (avian flu aside, it isn't a problem in the u.s. yet). Not only do the native plants provide food for native animals but also shelter and symbiotic relationships. Many crops get wiped out due to invasives and there a lot of awful skin conditions as a result of contact. The DNR website is a good place for anyone to go to if they are interested in learning which flora and fauna are invasive and ways youcan help get rid of them.
No. Extermination of a species is bad, whether or not Mexicans are involved.
Whatever the "true"answer might be, sadly it is still the animals who have to pay for human mistakes. Either the introduced species or the indigenous species (or worse both) are exterminated.
andro - i saw a similar situation a long time ago when a group of supposedly nature loving "animal rights activists" visited the Florida everglades. They witnessed a croc attack and eat a water bird. Every single one of them expressed hatred at the croc with one shouting "I hope you choke on it you bastard". Passion I understand but that was just scary. Fanaticism coupled with extreme ignorance.
ask me nearer the time, thanks.
Oh better stick to the yahoo guidelines and answer your question.......regardless of whether I would support it or not is irrelevant because someone will be exterminating them anyway.
p.s really stupid question.