http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/10/08/rescued.penguins/index.html
In this article the animal activists rescued 373 magellanic penguins that were stranded after searching for food. They flew the penguins on a C-130 military plane back to an animal shelter, where the penguins were cared for and fed. Then they were released back into the wild in Brazil. According to scientists, these penquins would not have harmed the poluation of the magellanic penguins, so man was not preventing an extinction. As much as I love penguins, my question is does man-kind have the right to intervene in nature? Should we interrupt and change the lives of other living beings without even thinking twice about it? Will our actions cause a butterfly affect? What if these penguins, now introduced to care and being looked after, do not hunt as hard, disrupting the food chain, because they think that man will come and save them again? What if these penguins will now become easier prey for other animals, and mess up the food change? Do we have the right to do as we please without thinking about the repercussions?
The Flight of the Penguins
Wednesday, October 15, 2008Posted by Cristin at 4:39 AM
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4 comments:
The Blonde Blogger,
I compeltely agree with what you're saying. We as humans shouldn't intervene with nature because we could in actuality be harming it. Hopefully they release the penguins soon and they can adapt to normal life.
~Devon (unraveling with every word)
I think altering the course of nature could have hazardous outcomes. Don't get me wrong, I love penguins, but still, nature had intended different for these creatures, and while animal activists are doing something commendable,the negative ramifications could be great.
I also agree with milesd and nad1500 who do we think we are stepping into mother natures territory and disrupting it. Yes, I am also a penguin lover, but even though we think we are helping in the long run we could actually be harming them.
Hi Cristin,
First off, I am a huge fan of tap dancing penguins. I think they are, in a one-word sense, the cutest things ever (possibly topping my little brother). However, I think the reason why there is so much controversy about intervening in anything, whether its nature or national sovereignty is that we never know the risks associated with intervention; it’s more or less a prophesizing the unknown. Your article questions whether a “butterfly effect” will occur, but I don’t think we can ever make a normative statement when we really just never know. Do you know if they are monitoring the penguins? I think the more we understand how penguins adapt into a different environment, the better we will be able to answer your question. Have penguins before “messed up” the food chain previously? Do they pose any threat in the competition for prey? Hopefully the little guys will be back up and wobbling around in no time!
Nicoleisms.
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