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Subscribe to RSSGalapagos tortoise, Lonesome George has died. The only remaining Pinta Island giant tortoise-believed to be the last of his species- was believed to be about 100 years old. ITV's Annabel Roberts reports.
Lonesome George, the giant tortoise who became the face of the Galapagos Islands conservation effort, was found dead in his corral Sunday morning, according to a statement by the Galapagos National Park Service. He was believed to be more than 100 years old and weighed 200 pounds.
He is the last known Pinta Island giant tortoise, and his death likely marks the complete extinction of his subspecies.
Fausto Llerena, Lonesome George’s longtime caretaker, discovered the tortoise stretched out, leaning toward his watering hole. The cause of death remains undetermined and the tortoise’s body is being held in a cold chamber to avoid decomposition before officials conduct a necropsy, the park said.
For years, Lonesome George’s minders tried to encourage him to procreate, even offering $10,000 for a pure Pinta Island tortoise. The reward went unclaimed, and park conservationists brought in four female tortoises of similar species, but their eggs proved infertile.
Sveva Grigioni, a 26-year-old Swiss zoology graduate student, nobly contributed to the effort by attempting to manually stimulate George, according to “Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of a Conservation Icon,” a book by Henry Nicholls about the famous tortoise.
Grigioni’s work wasn’t completely for naught, as George started showing interest in the females in his corral.
“He started to try copulation but it was like he didn’t really know how,” Grigioni told Nicholls, according to a book review in the Guardian of London.
The giant tortoise is native to several of the Galapagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago west of the Ecuadoran mainland. Lonesome George was the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise subspecies (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni).
A scientist studying snails spotted the tortoise later known as Lonesome on Pinta Island in 1971. The tortoise was brought to the Darwin research station the following year.
He was named Lonesome George (or Solitario Jorge) for George Gobel, the television star who played, according to a 2007 in The New York Times, the role of a “hapless, hen-pecked husband."
Some 20,000 giant tortoises of different subspecies still live on the Galapagos, according to Reuters.
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I'm going to try to be brutally honest with the 'tree huggers' out there.
Any species not equipped to survive is slated for extinction. Hard as we might try, some are not designed to survive in a world with humans as the dominant species. This is the way it is, the way it always has been, and the way it will continue to be.
With that said, work in genetics and specifically "cloning", may be the only means to bring some of these creatures back to the Earth. Should cloning be used to bring extinct species back? The hard question to ask is; by what sick, heartless logic could one justify bringing a creature back into the world that is not equipped to survive? The misogenistic sickos call for "depopulation" of the human species in order to make room for these unfortunate losers in the Darwinian gambit.
What is not known is if these great creatures would have survived...even without human encroachment. Had not the human species risen to dominate, some other creature would have. If nature fills all niches and creatures adapt to fit these niches, it can only be argued that the niche of the Pinta Island Giant Tortoise has closed. The creatures reached an evolutionary plateau; when conditions favorable for their existence ceased to be, the creatures ceased to be. Such is the way of nature.
And men are part of nature, from our SUVs to our high rises...our CO2 emissions and our fetish for things made of gold...all these are natural phenomenon, just as a termite mound is a natural phenomenon, just like the giant fig trees that kills its host while reaching for the sky...
I could say that our ability to sustain endangered species is more of a reflection of our own fear of extinction. How long will the environment we live in, that we pollute and populate and put under the plow and drill and mine...how long will that environment be favorable for our own existence? I argue that the great tortoise is a "canary in a mine"...if creatures such as this die off, we should seriously consider changing our ways. I doubt even the 'greenies' are as eco friendly as required to modify our lifestyles and consumption practices; the vast, overwhelming majority live in cities, the very 'black holes' of consumerism where the planets resources are consumed at an industrial scale...
How long before we go the way of the tortoise that we struggled so hard to keep from going extinct?
Everything you said was true, but it's still very sad, don't you think?
I vote for death to the humans. We may be dominant, but we are not better.
Don't you think you could have been "Brutally Honest" without resorting to the name calling? Just because people care for nature that doesn't make them stupid or incapable of being reasonable.
I agree with Galloway Grumblefield. Man is exterminating himself, but not fast enough. I suspect, though, that when the current crop of teens gets into power, the extermination will be accelerated. I makes me weep inwardly and outwardly whenever a species dies out and it also makes me angry when a species is removed from its natural habitat for study and for perpetuation. Perhaps if they were left alone without human interference they'd have a better chance.
I would submit to you, that as the species survived and evolved in isolation for millions of years, that it was not until we, through their discovery and subsequent exploitation, caused the species to become critically endangered, and they never recovered.
There is also a fundamental difference between the conscious destruction of life, animal or vegetable, for material and existential reasons, concepts that creatures with a lower scope of awareness and language skills are completely ignorant to, and the destruction of life in a struggle for actual survival. Humans are not destroying species in their struggle to survive, humans are thriving, humans are destroying species in their struggle to master the very concepts of abstract value and personal satisfaction that they invented.
I don't think the purpose of evolution was to make any species as toxic as the human dominant as long as it has. Like others, I am often ashamed of being human. Caring for nature should not mean destroying it by overloving it or by underloving it. Just leave nature alone and it'll manage. It has for millions of years.
"How long before we go the way of the tortoise that we struggled so hard to keep from going extinct?"
Well, with over 7 billion of us, we really need to cull the herd. We desperately need a war, pandemic or a big rock falling out of the sky.
Why did you take him out of the wild? Maybe theres more out there,he would find her.
Patrick: I stopped reading after you said: "tree huggers." It marks you as someone who doesn't want to have an honest discussion.
Can we place Patrick Leonard in the wild and see how long he survives?
Excellent discourse and right on with evolution, survisal of the fittest is the rule of nature.
hey Patrick
you cut and paste this from the Limbaugh letter
when you plagiarize at least name your sources and give credit to the original author
typical Reich Wing blowhole
How about all you folks who are ashamed of being human show us the proper action to take and take the lead by lower the population... starting with yourselves. Put your money where your mouth is.
Yeah, "survival of the fittest" is wonderful and great -- but when HUMANS are the cause of another species going extinct, it has nothing to do with being the "fittest".
Patrick, the Galapagos tortoises are in danger of going extinct because HUMANS hunted them with absolutely no care for whether the tortoises were able to renew their numbers or not.
EXTINCTION IS FOREVER, AND THERE IS NO COMING BACK FROM EXTINCTION.
will you give it a try, please? ;>)
You might want to learn a little history Patrick. Once the Galapagos Islands were discovered they were visited by vast numbers of sailors and whalers who slaughtered them by the hundreds of thousands for food, introduced other species like rats and pigs who further decimated them all to a fraction of the numbers they were when discovered.
They once numbered around a quarter of a million composed of over a dozen subspecies. Some had already been driven to extension before this. As a "tree hugger" I find your comments to be lacking in knowledge and offensive to the world in general. The extinction on these creatures is due to nothing more than humans ignorance of their effect on the world around them, not the creature itself being unsuited for survival.
Well, hopefully the, as you so lazily put it, "tree huggers" out number and out last morons like yourself, Patrick. Man interfered with the ecosystem (as usual) and living situation of these creatures and ruined it. Humans like you, Patrick, are the reason the planet is going to sh*t and other life forms continue to pay the price of our egos and stupidity. I only wish we could trade your pathetic, arrogant a$$ in for Lonesome George.
Sucks to be a tortoise!
So you are trying to tell me by manually stimulating him he would not reproduce? why would you want to J off a tortoise, if you want him to reproduce leave him alone, if he feels the need he will deal with it, you are right human intervention told him he did not need to reproduce all he had to do was wait for a human to come along and grant him his satisfaction. maybe what they should have done is take him back where they breed and let him go with a mate, but even that would be a hybrid and possibly not evolve you found the end of a species that'sall their is to it, why does the story not tell what happened to the rest of the tortuous population the Galapagos Isles havebeen protected for a very long time now what really happened? did mankind replace their sex drive by playing with their privates, species have been coming and going since the beginning of time the Polar bear is next go play with them and see how well it works. I forgot to mention there are countless new species popping up every year what about that? if you have a need to save something save the frog that is worth looking into. I can't help you with directions on how to get one off. I know you people meanwell but damn there is a limit. maybe they should not have been hauled off to zoos in the first place. I remember in the 50's every zoo had a Galapagos tortuous and usually just one. should have sent them all home then if there was a problem. to little to late the element complaining may have been part of the problem. but they will never admit that.
Galloway and Jo, you guys want death for humanity, why don't you guys move to the head of the Death Line then?
Patrick Leonard: "What is not known is if these great creatures would have survived...even without human encroachment"
You're kidding, right? Humans are the ONLY reason this species has been decimated! All island species lost in the last two centuries has been due to human encroachment. ALL of them.
I studied this species for years, and am absolutely astounded at some of the pig-ignorant statements by people who are trying to guess why the Galapagos tortoise might be endangered, using the logic of mouth-breathing rednecks. The species became endangered because early explorers and seafarers ate them, literally to extinction for a few subspecies on the smaller islands. Because the tortoises are slow reproducers, by the time a generation of humans who actually cared about conservation came along, it was too late for a few more of the subspecies, including Lonesome George, Chelonoides nigra abingdoni.
Maybe if some of you stopped having stupid guesses like "did mankind replace their sex drive by playing with their privates".(HUH??) and started actually doing some research before offering up your useless, worthless opinions, we might have more of a chance at saving our fast-disappearing natural world. But that's okay... go back to your fast food, your computer games and your selfish little 'Me Me Me' lives, and don't worry your pretty little heads about a darn thing. As long as you have your creature comforts, it doesn't matter how many creatures are being lost, right?
Well actually......Apparently you have a computer, so dosen't that put you in the same category as the rest of us who have read and are commenting on this story? And what about your creature comforts? Do you not have indoor plumbing, a home or apartment, car, job, etc? So I guess you are in the same category as the rest of us. As I can see it, you have also graced us with your "useless, worthless, opinions". Hypocrit! Blah, blah, blah.
Well, I'm sorry here but I have to go along with Patrick. If man is not there and a species disappears off this plant it is the nature of things. If man is there he may get the chance to help the species to survive a few years longer, but I feel that, while this is a worthy cause, it can be a fruitless endever. This takes us back to the old science question, If lightning hits a tree in the middle of the forest and no one is around, will there be sound?
Animals usually disappear because of Climate Change, Food Source, or Preditors (includes man). The Galapigos Islands: if there is a climate change of say 20 degrees cooler temperature that could affect just 1 creature in the food change will effect all both above and below that 1 creature. The animals that feed on 1 creature and above would have a decline in population and the creatures that fed below 1 creature would rise in population. There have been species become extint naturally long before man got involved on this planet and still new ones evolved.
Today we have some species that are surviving in captivity only, they are the last of their kind. They survive because of man, some may recover and yet some will not make it.
The Dodo bird had no natural enamies and survived on only 1 island. Until man came along and wiped the species out for food. Man also nearly wipe out the majestic Buffalo, and if man had not interfered with man the Buffalo would be extinct today.
The first paragraph in Patrick's post pretty much sums it up for me.
We plunder, we steal, we kill, we devise methods to exterminate. The innocuous species have no chance. When is the last time that you heard of the intentional destruction of species by another species other than man?
I'll stand 100% behind "species not suited to survive are slated for extinction". That is absolutely correct. But... what so many of the 'tree huggers' fight so hard against is not Natural Selection, but human interference. When we strip a natural area, because it looks like a good place to put another strip mall, drain a wetland because the smell bothers the golfers and wipe out whatever life calls these places home - that's what brings out the 'tree huggers', and there is a big, big difference between "not suited for survival" and "wiped out for being in the way.".
Spot on Patrick!
And I love Joe's comment (1.6):
Ashamed of being a human? LOL!!!! No wonder people like Obama get elected.....
While I dislike seeing a species of animal vanish, it's not like it hasn't happened millions of times already.
According to scientists, 99.9% of all species that have EVER existed are extinct.
Patrick,
Sad that you try to feign knowledge and wisdom within you complacency for the extinction of this species. Silly for you to think you have either.
The more you pretend to understand nature, the less you respect it.
George's viewing will be Wednesday, on the half shell.
The guy was like 100 years old. He would have needed a super dose of Tortoise Viagra to get it up.
Tea Partiers are MORONS.... banned, rereg of multiple accounter Tea Partiers are MORONS.
of course humans are to blame we are destroyers of everything and the lord will have his way with us and we too will be extinct.Sailors use to go the islands to round up tortoises and keep them on the ships for food, tens of thousands of tortoises were killed each year. I'm sorry to call myself a human, it is a sad day.
I'm sorry for you too! But sorrier for George...!
Speak for yourself ; that turtle was over 100 years old; it probably was old age.
Probably died of Alzheimer's.
Joel Propson
Of course what?
How are you an expert to say "of course humans are to blame"? Please fill us in how and why the Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni sub species became extinct. Could it be that this Galopagos species was destined for extinction?
Species have been going extinct long before Homo Sapiens dominated. Mankind is responsible for some extinctions, but certainly not all; or even half.
"he started to try copulation but it was like he didn't really know how"
He knew how, it's just old age. He needed some viagra. Blue Spinach.
Perhaps if they wouldn't have imprisoned it 50 years ago, it would have learned to reproduce on it's own.
i guess he... was a slow learner...
"A scientist studying snails spotted the tortoise later known as Lonesome on Pinta Island in 1971. The tortoise was brought to the Darwin research station the following year."
His tortoise wife was probably looking for him all this time...he was just being faithful...they kept bringing in hookers and he kept saying no....they probably got him drunk, he let his guard down but that's why he couldn't "do it" with the hooker turtle......Scheesh !!!
I wonder how many "Christian" CONservatives are saying "Hey, species have gone extinct for millions of years, and have gone extinct for longer than humans have been around"..... Didn't God say something about how Humans are supposed to be STEWARDS of the Earth -- not rulers over it?
we're sorry for you. maybe you could become a bacteria and then you could make all those awful humans sick and kill them. that sounds like fun.
Well, Lonesome George is Going Back Home To THE MAN......100 years old???? Pretty good.
Well, that may be, but it's not the point. George was the last and mankind was the main reason their numbers dwindled. Such clueless rednecks galore.
Hmmm... This extinction of a species happened on our watch.
For those who do not know the difference, a tortoise is a land animal, and cannot swim. A turtle is a water animal and has webbed feet so it can swim. A tortoise is mostly a vegetarian.
In all of nature there is one that is misnamed - "The Long-Necked Tortoise," has a longer, "prehensile" neck and head, and webbed feet. It actually is a turtle.
It is unfortunate that some people still harvest turtle and tortoise eggs; and, it is unfortunate that there cannot be better ways to take care of the endangered species.
Not all us rednecks are clueless. Mankind IS responsible for well over half the extinctions that have taken place since the Ice Age. Not all but most, and Galopogas tortoises included. So why don't they have the decency to just clone him??? Past time to clone George as well as try to clone the passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, and if any preserved specimens with a trace of DNA left, the dodo bird, and mmany others too.
It never amazesme at how arrogant humans can be, we think we are gods, that we control everything we touch, got news for all of you, we are not. All species will at some point in time will become extinct, including us, so you all can boo hoo the passing of the last of a sub species but twenty thousand large turtles can't be all bad.
extinction, the essence of chaos
Human beings have gotten very good at causing the extinction of species, and doing so without much reflection or learning any lesson from their passing. In fact, we are now so good at causing extinction we will most likely bring on our own.
"Planet Available to Suitable Tenant. Fixer Upper Due to Irresponsible Previous Tenant"
I never thought I'd live to see an entire species go extinct in my lifetime. I figured with all the massive amount of technology, we knew better. Yet here we are, with a turtle that, amazingly, lived longer than the average human, yet not long enough replenish his species. Well, whatever, by the end of the human occupation, I'm under the assumption the Planet won't even be habitable, unless you're a Cockroach, or the Toxic Avenger.
It's happened more times than you know.
Did you know that the Koala, I species I hope you are familiar with, with be extinct in the next 5 to 10 years?
Depletion of its natural habitat, food source, (the Eucalyptus leaves that is it's only food source) and the increased population of humans, their cars that run them over and their dogs which seem to have nothing better to do than chase them down and kill them.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/05/07/will-australia-save-its-koalas-again/
One sourse among many that nobody seems to care about.
You can expect more extinctions coming soon. There is flora and fauna being discovered everyday in rain-forests and other places that are being destroyed as we find them.
I hope I live to be over 100!
ok
its OBAMAS FAULT!!!
@Agnon Mema
"Didn't God say something about how Humans are supposed to be STEWARDS of the Earth -- not rulers over it?"
Most responsible people are stewards of the earth without worshipping it. What the heck do you mean anyways? "rulers over it" Did a catholic/christian assassinate Lonesome George? Are you on a vitamin and mineral diet and never eat meat or vegetables because this would mean extinguishing life?
A very sad story to start the week.
Did anyone get out a srynge an try extracting sperm that way.Thats what they should be doing for animals when they are so close to extinction only one guy tried manually no one could get them a 25 cent srynge. Sorry about my spelling.
Why didn't they do something about cloning him? At least then you have something to work with.. Maybe breed his clone to the smaller of that species..
Tony, the life span of those tortoises was 200 years old. It was not old age that killed him.
There's no doubt that humankind is responsible for the extinction of many species, I wonder though if that is the only case for this turtle. RIP Lonesome George, he lived a long life.
We had the enormous pleasure of seeing Lonesome George in January of this year. The Darwin Station is an amazing place....as is all of the Galapagos Islands. The tortoises on the main island in the wild were beyond belief, and many, our guide told us were well over 100 years old. The wildlife there is a once in a lifetime opportunity if one can get there. I wish I could attach the photos we took for all to see. Rest in Peace Lonesome George...I'm glad to have gotten to see him from afar where I belonged.
“He started to try copulation but it was like he didn’t really know how,” ...and she went on and on about the coral, the reef, the barnacles ...
A handy from a 26 year olf Swiss chick? If only I could live like that when Im 100!
joel - what the lord gave us - what lord ? - the one from the bible - the book of fairy tales - so noah made it to the galapogos - caught two of these guys - managed to keep them ailve on an ark got them back to the galapagos - until 5000 years later - when now they are all gone - that lord - please stop referencing this deity when it makes no sense - or stop calling it lord - - just say something - something gave us these living creatures - but the bible is in no postion to tell us anything factual about it -
Fred, this may come as a surprise to you, but attacking people's religious beliefs with derision and condescension ( as in your post #2.32, above ) ..... doesn't illustrate that you are smart. Rather it does illustrate that you are an arrogant, know-it-all jerk.
Science and theology both have far too important and meaningful purposes for mankind and for the human spirit than for either to be used as a weapon against the other.
You are entitled to your beliefs, and the faithful are entitled to their beliefs. But just as the faithful person cannot prove the existence of God, you cannot prove the non-existence of God.
The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. And that truth cuts both ways.
Well said, Robert. Well said.
Smart and to the point, Robert
It all depends on how you define god.
The available scientific evidence is (unintentionally) contrary to the theistic concept of a personally caring, personally creating, personally intervening, Lord, if you accept the implications of evolutionary theory, which few theists do.
Yes, but the denial of scientific fact does not equal absence of evidence.
It matters not a whit how you "define God" - you cannot prove a negative.
There is no such thing as "scientific fact" - I challenge you to name one.
Gumps
Gravity. Go ahead and jump and I assure you will fall down. Simple. Disprove it and you might get a "God" award. Kind of like walking on water.
Nothing to do with "God". A very simple law of physics. Do you really deny reality?
We can do this all day. Want more examples?
By the way, phsics is science...
Just saying "Gravity" doesn't mean anything. If you're saying that gravity makes you fall down when you jump up, then you're basing that on an observation. Show me proof that gravity will always make you fall down when you jump up. Just because you repeat something an endless number of times doesn't make it a "proven fact".
I can defy gravity in many ways - lighter than air balloon, magnets, aircraft/rockets. So what does that say about your "proof" of gravity?
Yes, physics is pure science. So, what's your point? There is no such thing as "proofs" in science - formal proofs are in the domain of mathematics.
Oh, but it does Gumps.
Pantheists equate God with the Nature, so it is easy to show that their god exists, unlike Christians. The Devil is in the definition.
Agreed. So where did I say "prove"? I simply noted that the available scientific evidence is contrary to the theistic concept of God. If you understand evolutionary theory, then the contrary physical evidence is clear to you, however there is no physical evidence in support of the theist's claim.
OK. Then how about the scientific fact that the Earth orbits the Sun? Note that this is a scientific fact-not a proven fact, as science does not prove anything-that's why scientists call them scientific facts to begin with.
Well, what are ya gonna do?
roll another one...my friend...just like the other one...
Darwin was wrong.....
Darwin was right, Mike. You just refuse to understand what Darwin actually said.
Oh, and what makes you think Obama is the only politician to speak with two mouths? ALL politicians do that!
whats an agnon mema?
You're questioning his avatar? Ha-haaa!
Mike in Delray: Pray elucidate.
We couldn't craft some stem cells from somewhere on him and grow another one? Lame.
This is sad. I met George on a trip to the Galapagos fifteen or so years ago.
I am not quite 100 yet but I could use a little stimulation along the lines of what George got. Sveva?
agreed at 45
LOL
George didnt have hands jerkoff, do it yerself
Bye bye, George :'(
Turtle Soup dinner for 100 now being served!
Lol.
Yum! Bookbinder's has a great snapper soup recipe!
Can't you think of something reverent to say about
'George'??? Probably not.... just thinking of your own gullet!!
rosewine... You could check out my 'George Eulogy' (Post #62)?
OkWhatNow? Did your parents say that when you were born? Probably. Such redneck gimps.
Yes we should think of something solemn to say about poor George the tortoise .. then again, that shell would make a really cool planter ..
Not to mention George's hide - would make a great pair of boots!
Maybe he's the lucky one...
RIP, George.
[Think I'll leave now, before some nutjobs start blaming this on Bush or Obama] :p
Apparently Mitt Romney was behind all of this. GEORGE WAS ASSASSINATED! *snorts*
I met George many years ago...so sorry to hear about his death.
he would have missed being free to roam and find his own gals...
perhaps that's why he was so lonesome?
Well, we now know that his roaming would have been an exercise in futility...
Ok - another species is now extinct and we're still here. Good for us. For those of you who keep beating the drums of mankinds inhumanity to nature, consider this - wouldn't this all be a part of nature's plan? Let's face it, you can't get much more natural than survival of the fittest. Species have been going extinct for millions of years. Ho-hum, move along, nothing to see here.
If anyone cares to look for it (maybe on UTube?), George Carlin once did an absolutely brilliant piece on the subject of extinction. It's not only funny, it makes sense.
Yup.
GunnerO,
Sorry, but the rate at which we are destroying the ecosystem will spell the doom of us as well. When there is no more plankton in the Oceans we will run out of oxygen and mankind will be the next in line for extinction.The cockroaches, or some blue green algae, will inherit the Earth and, hopefully, evolve into a more benign form of intelligent life to take our place.
It is a fact that species have become extinct throughout the history of the world. The problem that is visible now is that the rate of extinction has accelerated to its fastest pace ever. This acceleration is due to a vastly changed and very volatile ecosystem brought about in part by the effect that mankind's activities have on the planet. And yes, that would be climate change brought about by rapidly increasing world-wide, overall temperatures.
Well SingBiker, you might be right. Kind of goes along of my "nature's plan" theory. Anyone who really believes that mankind is going to be here forever might be a tad arrogant. So we might as well enjoy the ride while it lasts and not get in a twist over which dominos happen to fall before ours does.
Singbiker, Doesn't it seem much more likely that the population of the world will decrease as the rate of oxygen decreases until our numbers are self sustainable. They very basics of evolution is the survival of the fittest and we are at the top of the food chain. Once our numbers shrink it is likely we will evovle as well. Either way, I'm fairly certain cockroaches are not going to evovle into an intelligent lifeform. They have been around significantly longer than mammals and all they have to show for it is a strong tenacity to adapt and breed.
Nature doesn't have a "plan". That is just silly.
Ha, keep telling yourself that.
Gunner, nature's plan? Are you serious? Yeah, that's it; it's "nature's plan" to have us continue to contribute to destroying the planet and as many species as possible, as quickly as possible. Yup.
Yeah, extinction has been going on a long time. And, Carlin was good at pointing out the ridiculous. Course, this may be not so ridiculous. We have probably caused more extinctions accidently, and unknowingly, than any other species in world history. And, we are so far beyond critical mass, for the carrying capacity of life on earth, that we could be bringing on our very own "mass extinction", right now! By the end of this current century, we could easily bring about the extinction of every non-rodent mammal species on the planet, except for ourselves. Wouldn't take much. Virtually all land mammals, larger than us, are on the way out now. As are many marine mammals. With other nationalities clammoring to get on the hunting, fishing and land clearing gravey-train that we and western Europe have been on, for a century, how can the extinctions be slowed? (Remember, in our great-great-grandfathers' times, there were twice as many bison in North America, as people. There were dozens of herds, as large as any herd, of any species, in Africa today! Now, except for zoos, they are extinct!!) Then, look at all the nonmammalian food species that are hurtin'. We are riding the back of the tiger ok so far. But, its getting to be a bigger problem, every day. Those of you laughing right now, whatcha gonna say to jr. and sis, when they ask why you wasted everything--and left them nothing?!
Planet Earth, its ecosystem, and for that matter the whole rest of the universe and all its (probably) myriad ecosystems, will keep going just fine long after humanity is forgotten. We don't have the capacity to really destroy life on our planet, though exterminating ourselves we could probably manage. Maybe some future sentient species descended from roaches, rats, or some other humble creature will one day discover our bones and wonder what we were like.
I just watched that George Carlin bit on Youtube. Pretty funny for sure.
No gene-2853685, Nature (w/ capitol N) does not have a plan. Nature works on completely random principles. Humanity has been a non-random factor involved with nature for the last few thousand years. We aren't random because we have the ability to knowingly destroy. I have to agree with some of the earlier posters. The best thing for this planet (as a whole) is the near extinction of humankind.
For those of you that think extinction is a normal course of events. I'll bet there hasn't been an extinction in the last 100 years that can't be directly or indirectly attributable to humans.
Someone prove me wrong.
He was so cute! RIP George
it is so sad that our animals are slowly dying off. next to be gone, will be the polar bear, the wolves, and sea creatures. aand this is just the tip of the iceberg. we even talked about the seals and the elephants, so on and so on. humans are just killing them off. the climate has alot to do with is die off also. which i believe. humans have to be further educated, on the care and the respect of all life on earth. so much aabuse, so much cruelity in the hearts of humans. why so heartless. why? the world was made perfect. humans are not perfect. however, humans have brains. in which, it can make humans smart, good, evil, or very ignorant to thier surroundings. parents teach your children to love and respect our planet and all that is in it. parents, be kind to our world. people live well and respect our earth. because when the erath is gone. well dud, we are gone!!!!!
Species have been coming and going looooooong before man arrived on the scene. Stop playing god - you are far from it, Little Ant.
Exactly, Ru. We may make ourselves extinct, but to Earth it is just a minor, temporary hiccup.
There's no maybe about it. And then dachshunds will rule!
Well, I still think it's sad. I understand death but extinction of a species is too sad. Unfortunate that we, as humans, can't take more responsibility and show more compassion for the rest of the planet's inhabitants.
Animals go extinct all the time, human interference messes up what is supposed to happen. My tomatoplants go extinct every fall.
Seriously? You don't know the meaning of extinct? The fact that you say "every fall" means that they are recurring each year; how is that extinct?
Also, your tomato plants are not the last of their species. While your individual plants may die, there are probably hundreds of thousands more around the world. George was the last member of his species; there are no more anywhere in the world that we know of.
Yes, animals go extinct all the time. But more and more are dying because of us destroying their environment. We have already interfered with them negatively; we might has well try to interfere with them positively once they are about to die (or better yet, before they are about to).
And wouldn't it be a sad world without a diversity of animals and plants? We are used to growing up in sterile homes with little contact with nature - most of us having a digital life more than a real one. It is because of this that the concept of natural diversity matters so little...
Even if we manage to wipe out 99% of the species alive today, wait a few hundred million years after humans are gone and biodiversity will be back with a vengeance.
Nature kills far more species than humans kill. There is a natural order there somewhere. For Techilau... tell it to my tomato plant. :-)
Wow, lotta tree huggers here.
Maybe they should have showed up to "manually stimulate" Lonesome George, lol.
Maybe, if you were intelligent, you could come up with a new phrase to demonstrate your complete lack of understanding of environmentalism. "Tree huggers" is an absolutely useless name meant to be used somewhat like words like "fag" and "Ni**er." Low brow at its best.
OMG...now it has become politically incorrect to call someone a tree hugger...next thing you will be trying to get people charged with bias intimidation crimes for using it.
Trying to compare the term tree hugger to Fag or Ni**er is pathetic, They are not even close and show your desperate attempt to make something out of nothing.
Using the phrase "tree hugger" demonstrates that the speaker has no understanding of the nuances of the centuries old environmental movement. It's also deragatory, implying that anyone who cares even the slightest about environmental protection should be placed in the same category as fringe thinkers who believe trees have feelings and should be hugged.
Can't! Sweaty hands full of slivers from many trees. Makes turtle uncomfortable.
Err, s/he said "somewhat" so it was pretty clear it wasn't a direct comparison. And, yes, they can be compared to some degree as they are all just derogatory terms, used to insult a certain group of people. Generally, I think we'd be better off without insulting people. Might lead to fruitful conversations, instead of slanging matches. Sorry if that's too "PC" for you.
It tells us all we know when a "tree hugger" is the first to bring/use the terms Fag or Ni*ger to the conversation. Trees are people, according to the dingbat radical environ(mental)ists, and have more right to this world than humans have. You should be proud to weat the name "tree hugger", you have earned the derision.
Now get on me for the typo "weat" instead of "wear.
respect our planet. respect our animals, sea mammals, the birds all that God has created. our animals are slowly dying off. soon, which is sad to say. we will see stuffed animals. love and respect our planet. please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
And man shall have dominion over the beasts of the earth, the fish in the sea and the eagle in the sky...not an exact quote, but close enough i think.
Yes extinctions have been taking place for millions of years, yes as humans we are partially responsible for the latest extinctions...but man was given free will, and maybe some day soon we will have to account for it, and if we do, then we don't have to worry about it anymore. Jesus said,...do not let your heart be troubled, for these things must first come to pass. I'm not a religious man, but i'm not ignorant of it either. It scares me when i see extreme enviromentalists saying that human beings should go extinct...well speak for yourselves...if you believe that so feverently, then go ahead and start...take yourselves out first.
Yvonnec, humans deserve a little respect also, wouldn't you think? We are a part of the world of nature also, well I am, don't know about you though.
I'm guessing a lot of tree-hugging enviro-Nazis are also driving around in the Toyota Pious, in spite of the environmental rape that occurs to produce them. It sure isn't for the fuel mileage. Heck, a Pious normally only gets about 35 mpg. We've had 50 mpg cars as far back as the old diesel VW Rabbit, from the 1970s. And it didn't involve making the earth look like the surface of the moon, while mining nickel for Pious battery packs.
The Prius does not represent environmentalism, it represents Big Business and sales to aid capitalism.
Indeed, if you want to reduce your environmental impact don't buy a hybrid .. take the bus!
A Prius does not typically get "only 35 miles per gallon." The 50 miles per gallon as advertised is in fact typical. And environmentalism and capitalism are not mutually exclusive.
And there are ways to build hybrids while reducing the impact on the environment. Everything has costs. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Feeling dirty and unwanted? Get brainwashed by an enviromentalist.
Vern, I have not heard of the "Pious" But will remember the term from now on. I have heard snotty liberals piously state they drive one of these while lecturing political correctness to people of a variety of cultures, all the while listening to the Dave Matthews band or Phish eating gluten free tofu pups. And I consider myself a liberal. Thanks for the laugh.
Right. All these people that dedicate their lives to being environmentally concious don't know how to do it correctly. Right wing pundits that don't even have formal educations in science somehow clobber together a better environmental analysis in the 30 mins of preparation for their show or op-ed column. Some angry rant designed to spur up populist resentment is better than environmental impact studies put together over years by trained PHDs? Yeah right.
PS - Many green people do tune rabbits up to get better gas milage (ecotuners . com). Is it viable alternative for the mainstream? Hardly.
A diesel Passat, not sold in the USA, but in Europe, gets 65 combined Hwy/city MPG. &8 hwy/54 city. Your government will not allow that vehicle to be sold in the USA, because it will reduce, quite a lot, the government take on fuel taxes. All without those Prius battery packs that cost over $2,000 dollars to replace, not to mention the chemicals from Afghanistan that are used in making those battery packs. Google Passat TDI, 1.8 liter engine.
Pious owners typically lie about their ACTUAL fuel mileage. They bought the Pious to flaunt their enviro-narcissist superiority complex to others, but when the vehicle ends up only getting about 35 mpg, they aren't willing to admit that they raped the environment without any actual fuel savings, so they lie and claim that they are getting 50 or whatever.
The reality is, we have a glut of used Pious vehicles that are nearing the end of their battery life. As they go down, these vehicles basically financially totalled (the cost of the battery replacement is more than the vehicle's value as scrap), now we have to deal with the environmental impact of additional dead Pious vehicles ending up in landfills, as well as the haz-mat aspects of disposing of countless thousands of pounds of old Pious battery backs. Plus, the enviro-nutbags that apparently lack a grasp of third-grade arithmatic will then run out and buy a new Pious, causing additional environmental rape of our planet.
Google "George Carlin Save the Planet". He nails it.
Amen.
George Carlin was a comedian. Consider that before you base your world view on his jokes.
Don you are pretty good in the comedian department, but you take this environmentalism as unquestioned fact.
But Tarzan, it is all America's fault, just ask Oblama.
Chalk up another extinct species to man. Whales and Tuna will be next in line. Lions and Tigers, Gorillas, Rhinos, etc.etc. can't be too far behind the others. China and the rest of Asia is the biggest Culprit. Those people will eat just about anything that walks or crawls.
Rhinos and elephants and lions will be next. The rhinos are very close now. For all the jerks and goofballs and so-called realists who say it's just a totoise, let me say this: extrapolate to a bigger picture. what if a moth becomes extinct and it's the only pollinator of a flower that grows on a rainforest vine that would have provided a cure for some lung cancers had the vine not become extinct for the lack of the moth. Tarzan is correct in that Asians are major culprits in Rhino depletion. Now lion bones are big for medical things and souvenirs.
Sad day for Horhay. Should be able to clone him soon enough.
If a 26 year old Swiss grad student named Sveva couldn't get him off it just wasn't mean to be;-)
GAY ?
Sveva should have called on Jerry from PSU.
Vern, what's with the tree hugger junk. Respecting and taking care of the only home we have is necessary. Tree hugger is used for the extremist side of that. The people in here simply want somehow to stop the slow death of every majestic animal on this planet. If that makes me a tree hugger, so be it and if that is someone you despise bring it to my front door and we can settle it. I guarantee i will come out on top.
The truth of the matter is that we, as humans, have only taken an interest in preserving species from extinction only during the last half century or so. Yes, many of us care,and we do what we can to prevent the total eradication of rhinos, turtles, fish, birds, etc.,--primarily due to our existence. I suppose if humans had started being more careful a couple of thousand years ago, many more species would still be flourishing. Unfortunately, our eyes were opened only recently regarding humanity's impact on other living creatures.
Right now, I think we are working very hard to prevent/curtail the downhill slide that started millenia ago. We are not always successful, but Lonesome George could be a standard bearer for our efforts. Admittedly, he lived in captivity for half his life, but during that time, humans did their utmost to help continue his species. We were unsuccessful, but we really tried. Perhaps, in time, we will be able to clone others of George's species, and we can hope that they are not sterile. Perhaps not.
Humans, despite all our frailties, faults and failures, still have enough soul and caring attitude, that we will work at fixing our injuries to this world. We might be successful with some, and for others, not. But just blaming won't make anything better. Working to improve our planet is our best bet.
Stopping human reproduction is the best bet.
Bet you're doing your part, willfully or not
Thanks for confirming the validity of my post...
Global warming.
The sooner humans go extinct the better off this planet will be.
A plague that would wipe out the human species would be a blessing.
George was the last of his kind when found in 1971 because humans had killed and eaten all the others.
Humans are a plague. pestilence and a cancer on this planet that hopefully one day will be completely eradicated.
I'm sure there's a highway close enough you could run on to during rush hour to get things started...
Thanks for confirming the validity of my post...
The only thing you're confirming is that you are arrogant and mostly insane!
Rick and Rob are right. Your post about humans needing to be extinct can only be read and comprehended by that very species. I don't understand how anyone that's not suicidal is going to agree with you.
Amen Sayitlikeitis...couldn't agree more.
A plague would be perfect as it would not destroy the rest of this amazing planet or the innocent animals unfortunate enough to share it with us.
The Earth and the remaining animals would be OK - if humans were gone.
Another trip to Disneyland, Another weekend watching "Bambi" over and over again, another night in the secret lab working on weaponized anthrax, another day at the computer defending Obama and blaming Bush/Cheney, another appointment to adjust the meds, another week working in the psych unit and wishing you were a patient, another month in the forest chained to a tree, another suicidal attempt to shut down a Texas oil well, another trip to Africa to save the ringtailed rat, etc. Oh, the life of a environazi!
I beg to differ with your assessment of the human species. This is not a political problem, or an ideological problem, but merely a science problem.
The conditions that were favorable for the evolution of Man could just as easily have caused the rise of a different species, equally intelligent, equally destructive in the end
We are "here" because nature selected us to be here. We are omnivores and are able to manipulate our localized environment. Had another species of any of the branches of animalia risen instead of us, our chance at the Darwinian gambit would have failed.
But we did not fail.
We succeeded.
We are a product of the process called evolution; our buildings, our cars, our poisons, our consumptive practices both past and present...all perfectly natural phenomenon.
In a thousand years we may live in a "green" utopia, or we may live in some steampunk dystopia of pollution and greed.
Here, now, we try to make a difference, but our attempts are negated by those whose consumption practices are more destructive than others.
We build "green homes" with massive solar panels and windmills; no one asks where the copper for the windings or the germanium for the solar panels comes from(from huge mines..). We construct these energy intensive homes and feel better about ourselves because we think we've "made a difference"...yet the energy that went into the home's construction, the environmental damage, cannot be undone.
We create habitats for endangered species, creatures we have brought to the brink of extinction, yet change not one iota of practices that brought them to this level, with a few exceptions.
It is in the exceptions to the rule that we need to draw the greatest lessons from. These are the growing return of cetaceans and other sea creatures whose fat we used to burn; we replaced it with petroleum. The sea otter, nearly extinct, has rebounded...we replaced his fur with artificial insulators produced from...petroleum.
What is needed is a quantum leap in our energy production and our way of producing "things". Humans which many deride as a plague on the planet are not only the cause of the problem, they are also the solution.
Even if we were to reduce our population right now...in a hundred or two hundred years, ideologies will change and man will again follow his nature. If, however, we are able to get our "dream" energies to actually work at a sustainable level, there will be no necessity for a mass "depopulation".
I do not believe in the sick, misanthopic view of the world held by many in the "green" movement. Their particular view is distorted by superstition and is curiously unscientific. As with nature, science does not weigh the value of a thing based on any morality.
Patrick, thank you - well stated.
There are those who think technology is the solution to all of our problems, when actually, our problems these days are nearly all political.
Exactly. How to change our practices is an example of a political problem. Learning to recycle is a political problem. Learning to conserve is a political problem.
As another example, birth control, is not a scientific problem-we have the technology, which is quite simple and effective. No, these problems are all largely political, as they are rooted in our culture, not in our know-how.
Poor George R.I.P. big fella.
Sad day for Tortoises everywhere.