Poll: Should We let pandas become extinct?

[rdaleric]

There has been a lot of money spent on keeping the Giant Panda on the Earth. Now it's likely that without humans on the planet, that they wouldn't be dying out, though they have been called an evolutionary cul-de-sac by several wildlife experts. So what i'm asking is could that money have been better spent on saving animals that can be helped?

 

[Bobbity]

No. Even though they're a total fuck-up of evolution, I don't think that we should let them die out if we have the power to stop it.

On the other hand, it'll likely become even harder to keep them alive, the more dependant on us that they become.

/edit
Besides, we're causing their extinction, through the fragmentation of their habitats. Some might say that we owe it to them. Just keep in mind that the fuckers would eat us if they had the chance

 

[rdaleric]

No. Even though they're a total fuck-up of evolution, I don't think that we should let them die out if we have the power to stop it.

On the other hand, it'll likely become even harder to keep them alive, the more dependant on us that they become.

This is what I was thinking, Pandas apparently have no interest in reproducing in captivity, probably as they are a semi- nomadic animal.

 

[latenightapplepie]

No.

Perhaps they will become super-intelligent someday, and when we might be on the verge of extinction, they may remember what we did for them and return the favour.

Plus, they're cute.

 

[Polaris19]

Ecosystem needs all animals, big small, and microscopic. Letting any species go extinct is inexcusable especially if we're the reason their threatened in the first place.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

I say take a full DNA sample, semen and egg samples from all Panda's currently in captivity then release them into the wild. Then if they die out future technologies should allow us to recreate them if we want to. They are adorable but they're actively refusing to continue their own species.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

Ecosystem needs all animals, big small, and microscopic. Letting any species go extinct is inexcusable especially if we're the reason their threatened in the first place.

How impressively naive. Pandas are those big fluffy stick eating bear things that don't have sex no matter how much we try to make them, nature has made it clear in no uncertain terms that these guys are dying out.

 

[DJDarque]

They have no interest in continuing their own species. Evolution says they should become extinct.

 

[rdaleric]

I say take a full DNA sample, semen and egg samples from all Panda's currently in captivity then release them into the wild. Then if they die out future technologies should allow us to recreate them if we want to. They are adorable but they're actively refusing to continue their own species.

From what I have read, it's about 50% habitat loss, and 50% very low birth rate. I'd rather save 10 other endagered species, as Chris Packham the naturalist said "The panda is possibly one of the grossest wastes of conservation money in the last half century"

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I think we probably should. I know that makes me sound heartless and all that, but the Panda isn't a species that has been endangered by logging, industry, or the encroaching of humans into it's natural habitat - it's a carnivorous animal that has tried to adapt into a herbivore and it has now found itself in an evolutionary dead-end. The money could be much better spent trying to save species that can rebuild themselves with a little help, rather than a species that will need constant interference to survive.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

I have thought of this myself often. The panda is one of those creatures which are becoming extinct because their evolution has made them obsolete; they eat bamboo, which has so little nutrients they have to eat all day, leaving little time for sex or whatever.

It's good to help animals especially if we're the main cause of their demise. Panda's are cute, but they're a dead end.

Edit: What was that Yahtzee quote? "As the caretaker said to the last panda on earth: Fuck that."

 

[King of the Sandbox]

Keep 'em around, if for nothing else than sweet, sweet, delicious panda ribs.

 

[Bloodastral]

There's a lot of creatures on the endangered list. Perhaps if Panda's were geneticaly modified with tigers they would have more of a fighting chance. Heck come to think of it, why not gene splice all the endangered animals to see if something cool evolves.
~Pander ftw~

 

[Frotality]

if a species is dying more or less of natures own accord, then let em die.

if, however, a species is dying because we fucked something up, then in the interest of keeping earth's ecosystem in check and not being massive assholes we should try to get them back on their feet.

as for the pandas, were not even helping them as it is. we're just keeping them in what is effectively life support; they cant really live without our help, and we really cant do much to get them to survive on their own short of tearing down everything we've built in their habitats. sad as it makes me, the panda cant really be saved even if we wanted to do so; they just dont have the desire to breed anymore, and if youve lost that, what the hell can you do about future generations?

all the more reason we need to get going on the space program; so we can find some aliens who can breed pandas....and cure cancer or whatever, but mostly save the pandas.

 

[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.

 

[Sjakie]

Much as I think humans are one massive collective parasitic organism and pity the animals they wiped out just to fufill their own desires, yes.

To quote Ed Byrne 'If you can't be arsed humping yourself of the endangered species list then you're not worth saving.'

well said.
I remember that quote as well since it was very funny yet so very true. Mock the week rules.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

No, they are far too tasty.

 

[similar.squirrel]

No. We should stop fucking up their habitats, and keep a few in captivity. Right now, we're doing one of those things.