Re: NANFA-- Collecting ethics

Steffen Hellner (steffen_at_hellner.biz)
Tue, 13 Jan 2004 13:33:02 +0100

> I do not believe that you know that for a fact. It is an excuse for the
> people who overcollected these birds. Don't excuse them by saying the
animal
> would have died off anyway.
It would have died off caused by the overcollection, of course, but by the
whalers.

> What about the passenger pigeon? Were they driven to extinction by
> hunters, or by zoologists trying to collect for exhibit or breeding in
zoos?
> I don't know but I doubt if anyone does for sure.
This case is clear: it was extincted by hunting for food. The young birds
were very fat and thus were collected from the trees. The passenger dove
bred on lower trees. The rest was shot in large numbers. This was documented
in a book on extincted animals I read years ago.

> As far as the professional vs amateur debate
This is/was not the intention. They best work together. But I deny the
professionals to be the better "anyway". It all depends on personal
motivation. In every profession there are better ones and co-runners. That
to me is the point. Those unpassioned co-runners don4t like ambitioned
amateurs.

Steffen
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