OT: The Last of his Kind

Definitely sad. I got to see him in 2007 when I visited as well. Here are a couple pics I took of him (we were told he wasn't particularly fond of people, as you can see by his response to one of his keepers):

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Very sad.

Chris
 
So sad. Hard to think of anything other than hoping that "we" learn our lesson some day and that George continues to be a symbol for the importance of conservation.
 
A mistake made and nothing learned is a mistake to be made again. This is really sad however there are many species that are in similar situations. We really have got to make a concerted effort that these species do not go the way of George.

I have read about George I never had the opportunity to see him in the Galapagos.
 
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I've wanted to see him and one day since I was young and I had hoped to bring my daughter to see him. I suppose that can't happen now.

There is something remarkably sad to know that my child and generations down the road will live in a world different from the one I'm in because of the actions of people before I was ever born.
 
His story never made me sad when I was a kid.

IT MADE ME ANGRY.

That photo makes me think that George should have been offered 1 human sacrifice every single day of his life.

All that DNA, sculpted over thousands of years, GONE.
 
I'm a little confused. What sub species was he the last of?

Anyways, yes, this is a very sad day for science and conservation.
 
ktravelet said:
I'm a little confused. What sub species was he the last of?

Anyways, yes, this is a very sad day for science and conservation.
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He was the last of one of the subspecies of Galapagos Tortoises, the Pinta or Abingdon Island Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni).

Chris
 
DanSB said:
Alejandro17 said:
Science has failed mother earth...
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Don't blame science for things such as divine providence and manifest destiny which lead to these kind of events.

Science is a method not a belief.
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I personally believe blaming God and science are both complete copouts. Science didn't cause this subspecies to go extinct, the destruction of its habitat by introduced species (goats), which humans introduced to the island, did. Brushing off the actions of man as God's plan is just a refusal to accept responsibility for your own actions, refusal to acknowledge that people have managed to mess up habitat after habitat and species after species all on their own, and a weak attempt to make it easier to sleep at night by blaming it on someone else (in this case, God).

Chris
 
Chris Anderson said:
I personally believe blaming God and science are both complete copouts. Science didn't cause this subspecies to go extinct, the destruction of its habitat by introduced species (goats), which humans introduced to the island, did. Brushing off the actions of man as God's plan is just a refusal to accept responsibility for your own actions, refusal to acknowledge that people have managed to mess up habitat after habitat and species after species all on their own, and a weak attempt to make it easier to sleep at night by blaming it on someone else (in this case, God).

Chris
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I should have been more clear, I don't blame God, I blame man's well documented belief that nature is his for the taking and was put here by God for him to use exclusively and that this is all in God's plan and we don't need to do a thing.

This particular belief was dominant in Western Civilization until recently and still is held by many people (and might still be dominant I'm not sure).

You put it much better in that this is merely another way to bury our collective heads in the sand and not take responsibility for our actions in the world we live in.

I don't care what people actually believe there is no established religion or spiritual belief structure I know of (And I know of a great many) that does not at least imply man is responsible for his actions.
 
DanSB said:
Chris Anderson said:
I personally believe blaming God and science are both complete copouts. Science didn't cause this subspecies to go extinct, the destruction of its habitat by introduced species (goats), which humans introduced to the island, did. Brushing off the actions of man as God's plan is just a refusal to accept responsibility for your own actions, refusal to acknowledge that people have managed to mess up habitat after habitat and species after species all on their own, and a weak attempt to make it easier to sleep at night by blaming it on someone else (in this case, God).

Chris
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I should have been more clear, I don't blame God, I blame man's well documented belief that nature is his for the taking and was put here by God for him to use exclusively and that this is all in God's plan and we don't need to do a thing.

This particular belief was dominant in Western Civilization until recently and still is held by many people (and might still be dominant I'm not sure).

You put it much better in that this is merely another way to bury our collective heads in the sand and not take responsibility for our actions in the world we live in.

I don't care what people actually believe there is no established religion or spiritual belief structure I know of (And I know of a great many) that does not at least imply man is responsible for his actions.
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Thanks for clarifying. That I definitely agree with!

Chris
 
hes sooo big! its definately a sad story that infuriates us all. its such a shame that so many animals have become extinct due to humans lack of care in the past. im taking a wildlife conservation and management class this summer and its so sad to hear that american bison was hunted to get rid of the indians. there was a contest for the last buffalo shot. thankfully it didnt happen. in 1872 congress passed a law for protection of the bison. president grant didnt sign it.

man kind can be a great thing, but unfortunately it can also be a terrible thing. :[
 
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