Taxonomy vs. ethics

[Dennis Paulson]

>I think the reason that animal rights arguments do not often incorporate
>an environmental focus is that much of the support organizations such as
>PETA enjoy come from folks who equate "animals" with "pets".  They dearly
>love their dog, cat, or other mammal and cannot imagine their animal
>companions being subjected to the kind of cruelties that laboratory,
>fur-producing, and meat-producing animals are subjected to.  I've often
>noticed that animal rights concerns do not seem to extend to animals
>lacking vertebrae, and is pretty spotty for those that are not endothermic.
>
>Thomas G. Lammers

The thread of animal-rights activists vs. environmentalists has now
appeared at some length in several other lists in which I have
participated, biodiversity/ecology and birding/ornithology.  It is so
obvious that there are basic differences of opinion that it would behoove
people who are active in either environmental causes or--more important to
the readers of this list--museum studies to cultivate constructive dialogue
with the people who are fervently for animal rights but haven't been
educated well enough about the environment or science.  I stress
individuals because their leaders or the organizations they represent may
be harder to reach, being even more committed to a narrow focus.

I mention the importance of this to museum studies because in one local
example, an animal-rights group (PETA) mounted a substantial publicity
campaign to stop a bird- and mammal-collecting expedition (to Siberia, of
all things, where a lot of birds and mammals end up in stews).  It never
was resolved, but, fortunately, the campaign didn't stop the expedition.
However, as Thomas wrote, most of this activity is directed toward
vertebrate collecting, and endothermic ones at that.  Would that these
activists were as fervid about overfishing, overlogging, and overdraining!
But fishes, trees, and marshes don't have big brown eyes.

But some animals are loved even without big brown eyes.  It's very
difficult to get permits to collect butterflies in national parks.  My
easily visualized scenario is a park ranger arresting someone for
collecting butterflies in a national park, while squashing pesky ants and
yellowjackets and overseeing a mosquito spraying program, with nearby bug
zappers making life difficult for members of various other insect orders,
most of which are less showy of course, but might even include big, showy,
rare moths!  Anything to keep the campers happy.  But how do you even talk
to someone who considers butterflies and mosquitos, much less dolphins and
tunas, as totally different?

Dennis Paulson, Director                           phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History                 fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound                       e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416