Poll: Should We let pandas become extinct?

[SilentCom]

I like pandas so I would have to say no. They do much more than look nice, they also eat bamboo! Also they... I don't know sit there I guess...

 

[Laser Priest]

Pandas are the only things keeping the world from a horrible, horrible end.

They must be preserved.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

if you accpt that though, then where do we stop? Do we cut down the Amazon rainforest, killing off thousands of different species because our needs take priority? Do we eradicate the dodo so as to provide food for our Portugese settlers?

Yes. As long as the animal or plant life is not necessary for OUR survival then there's absolutely no reason to attempt to keep it alive. Our entire planet is a mess and we're spending money on helping someone OTHER than ourselves? We should prioritize human life, not animal. Let me put it in a different way. Would you rather money be spent on helping the needy or on saving an animal from extinction?

If it was us or them, I'd say us in a heartbeat. The thing is that we can work for ourselves and other species. To say that the money we spend helping them could be better spent on ourselves, when far, far more money is already spent on fighting to eradicate povert and disease, is like saying that we shouldn't spend on entertainment and instea put our money into charities, or that we should stop the space program and put money into, I don't know, education. Just because we can, it doesn't mean that we should.

No we cannot. The money spent on keeping those animals alive could be spent on curing the deadly diseases that seem to have become more common in our century, mainly cancer, AIDS, multiple schlerosis, schizophrenia etc. Yes, there's a lot of money invested into researching them BUT why not invest more? Why help animals when you could help cure AIDS for e.g.? Again, when we solve our problems sure, take care of animals. As it stands, our well being should be the only priority.

The space program will someday help us expand our influence outside the solar system. The human population on the planet is growing everyday and this planet isn't fit to support them all, resource and space wise. The space program is, in fact, our only hope for survival as a species.

As for entertainment, it's tricky. I agree that the billions made from entertainment could go to better use somewhere else, but then again certain forms of entertainment also provides some sort of relief or even enjoyment while some are artistical masterpieces. Even so, I'd rather have humans entertained than spend thousands on keeping animals alive. Also, last time I checked we can preserve DNA right? Isn't that cheaper than keeping endangered animals alive?

 

[Saelune]

Not going to say yes or no. Going to say though, sometimes we tried too hard to save things we shouldnt, and animals do go existinct even without humans involved.

Basically, what is the point of keepin the species alive? Is there a beneficial to the world reason...or "cause we want Pandas to just be still here"

 

[SinisterGehe]

So we humans destroy their habitat... but it's their own fault? WTF is wrong with you people.

The onces that are free and their natural habitat aren't breeding, they just don't want to breed. The heat of female and man panda are on different seasons, the male penis is really small and females give only one change per year for the the male.

They are snobby creatures that are dying out. Why it is our job to keep the alive, evolution has failed them. Other species have adapted to live with humans they haven't, why d we need to keep them alive? If they wont breed why do we force them to?

Any day it could be our turn to die like they are, if nature decides it some species time to go, we are not to interfere with it.

We have millions of people suffering and dying of things that could be cured with 5 euros worth of penisilin, they are dying of starvation when America is getting fatter and fatter.
Millions of people suffer of physical pain because of conditions that cant afford. Millions of people suffer severe pain that can not be helped. (Like me)

And you are crying over a snobby animal that wants to die out.

 

[Nouw]

Fuck to the no, it's our damn fault that they're endangered in the first place.

If we hadn't driven to the brink of extinction and was in the masses, I'd say yes we should pull the plug on life-suppourt. However this isn't the case!

Also it's very hard to say that 'nature is running it's course' with mankind's activities that are bound to somehow affect them.

 

[Gabrielbew]

Absolutly not.

Defying the cruelty of nature is one of the most badass thing about science and the Human Species.

Yes, it's obvious Pandas are an evolutionary dead-end. Nature would have em all dead by now. But hey, so what?

You think all those awesome races of dogs and cats would really live or really exist without our direct interference, protecting, breeding em into specific races and watching over them? I'm not so sure. At this point, the domestic dog is totally dependant on humans, and so is the panda.

I see no problem with that.

Oh yeah they're also qts.


" if nature decides it some species time to go, we are not to interfere with it."


If left for nature's plans, we'd still live like...30 years. Tops.

Who the hell cares. Screw nature. Save pandas.

 

[TheMatsjo]

If panda's were ugly vicious panda's we'd let them rot unless they had some sort of major beneficial impact. Species die all the time, keeping something around because we think it's cute is a waste of time and effort for as long as there are other cute things around, like RED pandas.

Cheers.

 

[legion431]

nature has it's ways and if a species should become extinct then I think we should let them go gracefully. I don't wan't to see them go either but nature does.

EDIT: I know that humans have killed off a lot of the population but now they just won't reproduce. How can we keep their species alive when they don't reproduce.

 

[TheBelgianGuy]

omnomnom

I'm sorry, I had a hard time writing a response without resorting to the same insult throwing like you.
Since my first response was probably going to get my account suspended, I thought I'd rewrite it.

Also, your patronizing "you don't know what this means" is funny. You are completely clueless about Ecology and Evolution, you invent facts to fit your ideas,...


I'm done with arguing with your neo-con BS, but let me end at saying that panda's aren't to blame for their natural habitat being destroyed. No animal can adapt to a completely other environment over night, these things take thousands of years to perfect.
And you probably don't realize this, but the current human-induced extinction rate is much higher than the normal natural background extinction rate. We're not just talking about cute cuddly panda's here.

 

[TheBelgianGuy]

So we humans destroy their habitat... but it's their own fault? WTF is wrong with you people.

The onces that are free and their natural habitat aren't breeding, they just don't want to breed. The heat of female and man panda are on different seasons, the male penis is really small and females give only one change per year for the the male.

They are snobby creatures that are dying out. Why it is our job to keep the alive, evolution has failed them. Other species have adapted to live with humans they haven't, why d we need to keep them alive? If they wont breed why do we force them to?

Any day it could be our turn to die like they are, if nature decides it some species time to go, we are not to interfere with it.

We have millions of people suffering and dying of things that could be cured with 5 euros worth of penisilin, they are dying of starvation when America is getting fatter and fatter.
Millions of people suffer of physical pain because of conditions that cant afford. Millions of people suffer severe pain that can not be helped. (Like me)

And you are crying over a snobby animal that wants to die out.

Why is it our job to keep you alive? As you have said so yourself, evolution has failed you.

 

[Sarge034]

Should we let this go extinct

How could anyone

They are going to go extinct one way or another. Might as well not throw any more money at them. Don't get me wrong, I wish them the best of luck but the gene pool is simply not large enough to sustain them without serious inbreeding going on.

 

[SinisterGehe]

So we humans destroy their habitat... but it's their own fault? WTF is wrong with you people.

The onces that are free and their natural habitat aren't breeding, they just don't want to breed. The heat of female and man panda are on different seasons, the male penis is really small and females give only one change per year for the the male.

They are snobby creatures that are dying out. Why it is our job to keep the alive, evolution has failed them. Other species have adapted to live with humans they haven't, why d we need to keep them alive? If they wont breed why do we force them to?

Any day it could be our turn to die like they are, if nature decides it some species time to go, we are not to interfere with it.

We have millions of people suffering and dying of things that could be cured with 5 euros worth of penisilin, they are dying of starvation when America is getting fatter and fatter.
Millions of people suffer of physical pain because of conditions that cant afford. Millions of people suffer severe pain that can not be helped. (Like me)

And you are crying over a snobby animal that wants to die out.

Why is it our job to keep you alive? As you have said so yourself, evolution has failed you.

Eh?.. You ain't keeping me alive that is for sure. I am very much able to breathe, eat, sleep and fuck (If I would be interested to) without the help of you. I got will to survive, I can breed when ever I want to.
If you refer to the sever pain, It isn't killing me, it is making my life misery, I don't need others help my pain, I have looked for help from doctors and all they gave me is bucket load of pills and told me to "Try to live with it". No one is keeping me alive, but the primitive animal that is inside of us all.

 

[aaronobst]

OF COURSE NOT! what kind of a stupid question is that?

 

[cookieXkiller]

Should we let this go extinct

How could anyone

so true ... keep them alive , for the cuteness and for the fact that something needs to eat bamboo

 

[ImprovizoR]

To all the people who said "yes, let them die" etc. - do you really want to live in a world where there are no fuckin' pandas? One day there are pandas, and the next day there aren't any pandas left anywhere in the world - and you wouldn't feel anything?

 

[Ixnay1111]

I think the late, great George Carlin put it best...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeSMPESpxdA

 

[Meestor Pickle]

Yes, they are sooooo cute...until they maul you just like a grizzly would.

 

[Riku'sTwilight]

Yes, I think we should let them die out.
Just because we are the dominant species on this planet, everything has a life cycle, and nature needs to run its course.

If they are dying out, then surely nature wants them to die out? Survival of the fittest and all that jazz.
Nature will then form a balance from an inbalance, it's just the way life is sometimes.

Getting into the religious side of it; God gave us stewardship over all the animals, yet since Biblical times [i.e. mostly not real times] there have been many species that have died out; Dinosaurs, Dodo birds, Wooly Mammoths, Dragons*, Kabutops* etc etc and we sure as hell didn't save those creatures and we seem to be fine as a planet so do you think adding another one to that list is really going to harm us that much?

*Species may or may not have existed /sarcasm.

If they are dying out nature wants them to die out? Back before humans came into the scene they were fine, so it isn't nature that's killing them, if we decided today to hunt bald eagles to extinction with rifles, and then did it, would you say it was because nature wants them to die out?

I honestly don't know how long Panda's have been around for, but human's have been around for thousands of years too and we have lived in perfect harmony without Panda's dying out before, and as human's are part of nature then yes, anything we, as a species kills is part of nature's plan because one day we wont be the highest on the food chain and nature will dutily cull us in many ways.

Plus Bald Eagles are an American only thing, I'm British, so I personally couldn't care less if they do go extinct. Start culling the Dragons that roam our country and there might be some backlash though

you wouldn't feel anything?

Not a thing. About 99% of all creatures that have ever lived are now extinct. Species go extinct everyday.

Your point is a valid one good Sir.

 

[TheBelgianGuy]

snip

I'm sorry, after looking at my post again, it was much more mean-spirited than I wanted to say it. You took it better than I'd have done if somebody said something rude like that to me.

more snipsnip

It's funny how people keep commenting like Nature is an actual, living thing, has a plan, etc,. then just being a set of laws earthly creatures happen to follow.

Also, I wouldn't consider humans hunting a species to extinction to be 'natural', in the sense that it really serves no ecological or biological purpose. Then "Nature", so to speak, wouldn't be making these eagles extinct. Humans would be.
Same as Panda's, and I'm sure they're not the only species to go extinct if we keep destroying their habitat.

you wouldn't feel anything?

Not a thing. About 99% of all creatures that have ever lived are now extinct. Species go extinct everyday.

Obiously yes, but their is a difference between a normal Background extinction rate, and the human-induced extinction rate. If we're killing off species faster than new ones are born... That really doesn't concern you?