Working Towards A Ban On Trapping (continued...)

Breaking Benjamin - "I Will Not Bow"

Fall

Now the dark begins to rise
Save your breath, it's far from over
Leave the lost and dead behind
Now's your chance to run for cover

I don't wanna change the world
I just wanna leave it colder
Light the fuse and burn it up
Take the path that leads to nowhere

All is lost again
But I'm not giving in

I will not bow
I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fallI will not fade
I will take your breath away

Fall

Watch the end through dying eyes
Now the dark is taking over
Show me where forever dies
Take the fall and run to Heaven

All is lost again
But I'm not giving in

I will not bow
I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall
I will not fade
I will take your breath away

And I'll survive, paranoid
I have lost the will to change
And I'm not proud, cold-blooded fate
I will shut the world away

I will not bow
I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall
I will not fade
I will take your breath away

And I'll survive; paranoid
I have lost the will to change
And I'm not proud, cold-blooded fate
I will shut the world away

- I was driving to my Conservation Bio Lab when this song came on the radio. It made me think about extinction (even more than I already do (which is a lot)) and how humans are responding to it. Responses go all over the spectrum from the "Oh, some animals are extinct? Oh well, can't do anything about it now." to the "Let's worry about starving African children first. Wildlife can wait." to the "Who really gives a shit?". Frankly, I am tired of all three of these answers. The first one- THERE IS SO MUCH THAT CAN BE DONE NOW. Focus on what we have left and try to save them. Let the past educate you. The second one- WE ARE FAR FROM ENDANGERED. 7 billion versus 70 Florida Panthers worldwide? What's more vital? What's more volatile? The third one- Tens of thousands of other people care and dedicate their lives to the preservation of wildlife. It is disgusting to me that so many people shove these peoples work in the dirt.

This song also made me think about trapping and how I will do everything in my power to stop this. Trapping is a direct cause of extinction (among many others that I will discuss in later posts). Not only is it a cause of extinction, it is also, in my opinion, one of the biggest crimes against wildlife on our planet. Trapping is animal cruelty at its worse and frankly, the cold-blooded and heartless treatment of these animals is frightening, disgusting, and everything immoral. I hate trapping with every fiber of my being and I will not bow- I will not break. I will survive to see the end of trapping. And for the trappers, get ready, because we 'environmental terrorists', as you like to call us, are coming and your profession, hobby, whatever bull you call it, is coming to an end. Just get ready.

Okay, moving on.

---

As if the videos in my last two posts were not reason enough to not support trapping, there are more reasons. As I mentioned before, trapping leads to extinction. Here is a list of ALREADY extinct animals who died out due to hunting and trapping.

Marsupials

1. Toolache Wallaby (Macropus greyi) of Australia - presumed to be extinct due to predators introduced by man, competition from livestock (again, introduced by man), bounty and sport hunting, and the direct killing for the animal's pelt
2. Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) of Australia - presumed to be extinct due to predators introduced by man, competition with rabbits for food, habitat degradation, and fur trapping
3. Tazmanian Tiger/Tazmanian Wolf/Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) of Australia and Tazmania - presumed to be extinct due to hunting, trapping, and poisoning both for private and government bounties

Sirenians

1. Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) of the Commander Islands of the Bering Sea - presumed to be extinct due to it's slaughter for meat and leather; hunting is the only reason believed for the extinction of the Steller's Sea Cow

Bats

1. Large Palau Flying Fox (Pteropus pilosus) of the Island of Palau - presumed to be extinct due to the hunting for food by local people
2. Panay Giant Fruit Bat (Acerodon lucifer) of the Philippines - presumed to be extinct due to the overhunting of the species
3. Guam Flying Fox (Pteropus tokudae) of Guam - presumed to be extinct due to the overhunting of the species as a food source

Cetaceans

1. Baiji Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) of China - possibly extinct due to the overexploitation of the species by fishermen; electric fishing was believed to kill the baiji dolphin outright and on impact

Artiodactyls

1. Aurochs (Bos primigenius) of Poland - presumed to be extinct due to hunting and competition with domesticated cattle
2. Bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus) of South Africa - presumed to be extinct due to hunting by European settlers
3. Arabian Gazelle (Gazella arabica) of the Middle East - presumed to be extinct due to hunting
4. Schomburgk's Deer (Cervus schomburgki) of Thailand - presumed to be extinct due to overhunting

Carnivores

1. Falkland Island Wolf (Dusicyon australis) of the Falkland Islands - presumed to be extinct due to trapping for fur and hunting; FUR TRADE
2. Sea Mink (Neovison macrodom) of New England and Atlantic Canada - extinct due to the hunting and trapping for the fur industry
3. Carribean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis) of the Carribean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico - extinct due to overexploitation for oil and meat; FUR TRADE
4. Japanese Sea Lion (Zalophus japonicus) of Japan - extinct due to overexploitation for oil; also hunted to make expensive oriental medicine and its whiskers and leathers were used as pipe cleaners and leather goods
5. Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) of the Island of Java - extinct due to hunting and retaliatory persecution; FUR TRADE
6. Bali Tiger (Panthera tigris balica) of Indonesia - extinct due to hunting and retaliatory persecution; FUR TRADE
7. Caspian Tiger/Persian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) of the Middle East - extinct due to hunting and retaliatory persecution; FUR TRADE
8. Barbary Lion (Panthera leo leo) of North Africa, Morocco, and Egypt - extinct due to hunting and retaliatory persecution; FUR TRADE
9. Japanese Wolf (Canis lupus hattai or Canis lupus hodophilax) of Japan - extinct due to hunting, trapping, and retaliatory persecution; FUR TRADE
10. Mexican Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos nelsoni) of Mexico - extinct due to hunting, poisoning, trapping, and retaliatory persecution; FUR TRADE

Perissodactyls

1. Western Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicomis longipes) of West Africa - extinct due to hunting/poaching

Why is this important?

History repeats itself and unless we learn from the past and our mistakes, many species will follow in these animals' paths. With trapping still permitted, we are only aiding extinction and allowing history to repeat.

To be continued...

Ashley