On 10 Oct 2000, John Foster wrote:
> Dear Folks,
>
> here is an article on African trade in bush meats. The report mentions
> that people are forced to use bush meats during periods of drought,
> etc., when other foods are available. The report also states that the
> food is cheaper than domestic foods. The ethical issue that could be
> raised is how can endangered species be protected and managed so they
> are not further endangered by exploitation? Does the more affluent
> nations of the world have obligations to conserve species that occur
> in dependent nations? Should the affluent nations forgive repayment of
> loans to countries that are endangering habitats and wildlife?
>
> Who is responsible in the end to halt unsustainable trade in wildlife?
> Do these species have economic importance that would improve the
> economies of these countries if poaching and hunting were reduced? One
> example where hunting must stop is of course is the hunting of the
> Gorilla.
>
> choa,
>
> john foster
>
Who is responsible? I think we all are, as members of the human species.
Do these other beings have "economic importance"--read do we accord their
body parts a certain monetary value in the game our species plays? No
doubt. Is that where the ethical issue is located? Not quite. Why say
reduction to a "resource" should stop with "the Gorilla," John? Because
gorillas are so much like us? What about chimpanzees, bonobos and, in
Asia, orangutans--also being devastated by the bushmeat trade as well as
by habitat destruction? For that matter, what about elephants, already
being viewed as a "harvestable resource," and whales, soon to be again so
considered? On what basis, precisely, do members of our species believe
that we are ethically justified in consigning all other forms of life to
being nothing more than commodities we trade in the marketplace?--so long
as we can do it "sustainably," of course, which given our exploding
population-times-consumption is probably the biggest self-conceit of all.
Ronnie Hawkins
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