Bandon Whipple 4/12/18
Extinction argument essay
Extinction is a major problem among environmentalists and has sparked many movements to protect animals that are on the verge of becoming extinct. Due in part to the extinction and endangerment of animals, De-Extinction seems to be the way to solve these problems but it in fact is not. In text 3 the author provided a great reference to the film Jurrasic Park. Though Jurrasic Park is a fantasy film and it may not be in scientists interest to revive dinosaurs the film contains a moral that holds true.
Some may believe that it would be an incredible scientific accomplishment to be able to create organisms of a species that have been extinct, which is true but at the same time studies do not show what disruption this may cause in nature since animals like the wooly mammoth havent been around for tens upon thousands of years and will confuse other animals. De-Extinction would not only affect the environment negatively but it will affect it negatively on the behalf of pleasing humans.Text 1 lines 22-23 actually prove the point of De-Extinction being used to please humans by stating “there is also a desire on the part of many people, to see living examples of extinct animals”. Another way that De-extinction can negatively affect the environment is the amount of attention that will be placed on the De-extinction animals rather than the animals that are endangered at the moment and require as much focus as possible.In text 3 lines 7- 10 the author states “De- extinction intends to resurrect single, charismatic species, yet millions of species are at risk of extinction. Not only will De-extinction affect the environment it will also affect the resurrected animal. In text 3 line 17 the author states “A resurrected pyrenean ibex will need a safe home not just its food plants”. In order to provide a safe home for resurrected animals it will cost millions to create facilities to house these resurrected animals and to make them like their habitat from over ten million years ago.Lastly extinct animals should not be brought back to life because there may be a reason the animal went extinct in the first place, according to text 4 “species that have been lost due to human activities, to say nothing of restoring the natural functions of their former habitats”.
De- Extinction is a short term solution to a long term problem these species will not be able to be reintroduced due to the amount of time it has been since it has been around also the animal will be artificially created and may be unsafe for other animals to eat. This would especially cause a problem due to the fact this may cause the predators of these resurrected animals to become endangered after eating these animals. At the end of the day there are way more cons than pros when it comes to De-extinction therefore scientists should not interfere with nature and let nature decide who survives.