Cross Breeds

do you think humans should breed endangered animals?

to start i want to say that i really love animals and i am against any type of cruelty to them. i think all animals deserves rights, however. i don't think we should attempt to breed dying species. it has always been survival of the fittest and this leads to evolutions and adaption. i understand that we might be the cause of some of these extinctions. but it's all part of the "survival of the fittest" theroy right?.... by trying to save these animals, are we actually preventing them form adapting to the environment we created and killing the possible evolution of these animals?

Public Comments

1. Protect,yes,but not breeding.
2. this is an excellent argument for preserving them.... http://www.fws.gov/endangered/factsheets/Why_Save_End_Species_July_2005.pdf
3. well, of corse it is a good idea to help endangered animals get back on there feet but over producing a certant type of animal could put other animals at risk of endangerment there is a name for this but i cannot think of it right now but yes i do think that helping indangerd species out but also think about the advers affect also and breed the other animals 2 because 2 much of one animal is not good for the other animals for ex. if there are 2 tigers in an incloser and there are 10 rabits and u breed that 2 tigers eventualy there will b more tigers than rabits and the population of the rabits will over consume the population of the rabbits so there u go and u should totaly mark me for best answer! plz>>>>
4. Survival of the fittest is really not a factor when we are poaching them and destroying their habitat. For example there are about 30 Amur Leopards left in the wild... if man goes out and shoots the last of the females for the coat then the species will go extinct. Them going extinct has nothing to do with the survival of the fittest. Where you tend to see survival of the fittest more is say for example in breeding. Take for example lions, a weak male will not be able to pass on his genes but a strong male will... thus the weak males bloodline will die allowing the fitter male to survive. By introducing new bloodlines or groups as a whole back into the wild we are not preventing them from adapting ot the environment. The animals that were still alive and the new ones are still required to adapt to the changes we have caused, it is just that there are more of them to adapt.
5. Survival of the fittest does not apply when we are completely destroying their habitat which provides their food, water, and shelter. No animal can adapt to complete destruction of their habitat. That is like putting a human in the desert with no water, food, or clothing and expecting them to evolve within a day or so to be able to "adapt" and survive in that environment. If that human died would you then so..oh well, it was just survival of the fittest, they deserved to die because they did not magically form kidneys that allowed them not to need water or other physical characteristics to allow them to survive in the desert environment. It takes animals YEARS to adapt as changes are usually gradual allowing the individuals most fit for that environment to survive. An individual cannot usually adapt..it is an entire species that adapts with the changes that occur. It is just not scientifically possible for animals to change their physiology, and physical characteristics over days, or months. NOTHING, including humans can adapt to complete annihilation of habitat.
6. Only if they're endangered because of humans.
7. Hi Some O, Interesting question you ask! I think there are three different issues in your question which bear touching upon. The first issue: Dying species: It depends on what is causing the dying off of species. In my belief, all species are precious and help to keep the bio diversity of all of them, including plants and inseccts, in tact. A couple of years ago, the bees disappeared almost completely, and have still not returned to normal. Whether it was due to a virus, or enviornmental factors caused this disappearance, bees are essential to crop development. Every species has a reason to be on our planet, and every species is important. So if all the bees all of a sudden became extinct we would be in huge trouble since they are so essential for cross-polination of our fruit and vegetables. This being said, we need to look at the major reasons for species extinction. According to Wikipedia, these reasons are: Destruction, Modification, and/or Fragmentation of Habitat Introduction of Exotic Species Overharvest Global Climate Change The second issue: We may think that a species is not necessary for our well being, but the relational connections between all species, and in fact, even our vegetation is vital. An excellent read about diversity of species and its importance can be found here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/conservation/4409407/Darwins-Galapagos-species-under-threat.html Now back to your question about whether humans should breed endangered species. Keep in mind that bees fall into this category.. and without bees we are in deep trouble.. using bees as a template. The third issue: I do not think that humans should keep wild animals as pets. This is a dangerous situation for both human and animals, as was so strongly brought to our attention when Travis, the Chimpanzee, attacked his owners friend, resulting in tragic injury to the woman, and the death of a Chimpanzee. One less Chimp.. due to a selfish need of a human to "employ" a Chimp and keep a wild animal as a pet.. hardly under the right conditions. I don't think that most humans should be breeding wild animals in their homes, either. This being said, unless we want to see the kill off of all our precious species of animals, we need to intervene, and protect them, and, yes, under the right conditions, breed them, hopefully to return them to their natural habitat. It is not the species' fault that their environments have been stripped away from them, and they are encroaching on man's territory, which was taken from them. Personally, I would like to see my children's children see tigers and lions and chimps and other wild animals in real life, not to just see them in photo albums. Our planet's population is just getting out of hand, which only adds to the problems which wildlife face. The main reason for species die-off is our fault. Your theory, therefore has nothing to do, really, with the survival of the species. Healthy, vibrant animals cannot reproduce well given the way in which we have piledged their environments for our needs. Thus, many species will either evolve to meet their rapidly disappearing resources, or will become extinct. We have caused this.. we can fix it, if we really care about them So while scientists and wild life specialists work hard to rebalance the environment, and hopefully put an end to, or significantly impact habitat encroachment, endangered species need to be protected and preserved. There is such a delicate balance in nature right now.. not enough wolves, or polar bears or big cats, ( I could go on and on ) to keep other species in a healthy population. Most of them starve to death today. Yes, certain species may adapt if possible and ultimately evolve, but I would sure hate to see what happened to the bees continue to happen with our beautiful endangered wild life.. but humans have no right to keep them as pets.Sadly to say, many of them need to be bred in captivity by those who know what they are doing, and who have the continuation of these species in mind. I don't think that the correct breeding programs will prevent possible adaptation and evolution.. many of these species no way fit into the survival of the fittest as defined in this article below. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest Let's pray we clean up our planet and preserve our wonderful endangered species in a sane and sensible manner. We , as humans, are the caretakers of the planet... and right now, in my opinion, we are falling short of our responsibilities. Sorry to go on, but I am passionate about this. Troublesniffer Very concerned about the importance of bio-diversity.