The Yangtze River Dolphin is probably Extinct.

[Arachnar]

I remember I watched part of a documentary on squids. A researcher in New Zealand was talking about how the local fishermen had bottom trawled the entire outlying oceans of New Zealand and there are no more fish now. He was trying to capture collosal squid or giant squid babies btw. Just goes to show you everyone can be blamed but it's time we change things.

I didn't intend for this thread to be about a few people arguing between each other but I shouldn't have expected any different.

 

[Alistriwen]

Scorponok, I take it you are from China and this is a very personal issue for you. You might try to look past the emotion and see the facts though because there is no country on earth that has never contributed to the extinction of an animal, and China in modern times has done collosal environmental damage. Furthermore, calling various types of hunters a part of the U.S. government is a bit odd since it was not some sort of U.S. government program sending these guys out hunting.

I suppose though, that every time the topic of these dolphins comes up a bash china hurrah goes on and then the propoganda machine returns fire.

 

[Scorponok]

I am not from china. And if any chinese criticizes the US I would be defending America, or attacking china, depending on views. I just don't like those quick to bash another country ignorantly without looking at their own backyard, or shall I say hypocrites.

 

[woodyoz]

I am not from china. And if any chinese criticizes the US I would be defending America, or attacking china, depending on views. I just don't like those quick to bash another country ignorantly without looking at their own backyard, or shall I say hypocrites.

spot on

 

[pcfriedrich]

Hmm....lets' see. OK, I will see how many animals I can bring up.

Eastern elk - The western pioneer hunted them to extinction in 1914.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/Elk.htm

Sea mink - Hunted into extinction during the european fur trade in 1860.

Gull island vole - it became extinct after its habitat destroyed for naval fortifications in 1898 for the Spanish-American War

you look at this map the US has extincted more mammals than china. In fact, the map shows china extinct no mammals.

http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/heywood/geog358/endanger.htm#mammals

If you want to know how america govt. is responsible for their extinctions, just tell me how many years has the US been the number one polluter of the world? Surely you don't think there is a connection between pollution and extinction.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0107-01.htm

uh, the only one of those that had anything to do with the American Govt. was the Gull Island Vole. which was 110 years ago. anything more recent?

anyone who believes the United States is more polluted than China, or any third world country (where they don't even use catalytic converters) is a complete tool.

There are many Olympic Teams that aren't going to Beijing until just before their events begin, because the city is so polluted that after a couple days of athletic training they are sneezing and coughing up black gunk. The US Track and Field team, to name one.

 

[pcfriedrich]

And about this map:

http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/heyw...er.htm#mammals

You honestly believe there have been no mammals extinct in China since 1500 (what about the Yangtze River Dolphin, to name one)? not in Scandanavia, either? or India? those countries are obviously just not reporting to whatever agency is publishing this map.

 

[Scorponok]

You don't think china freaking tried to save the dolphins?

http://www.china.org.cn/english/2001/Dec/23395.htm

http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/45890.htm

The dolphins will now be classified as critically endangered and possibly extinct - but the WWF campaign group has said the research is not conclusive, and that the last report of the dolphin was established in 2004.

'WWF does not think that the baiji dolphin can be declared extinct or 'effectively extinct' because the search was conducted within a short period of time over a limited area of the river,' said a spokesman.
He added a species cannot be classed as extinct until no animal has been found in the wild for 50 years.

http://www.orange.co.uk/news/world/13785_pr.htm

 

[Onion01]

first the chinese paddlefish, now the chinese river dolphin. What next

 

[Alistriwen]

You don't think china freaking tried to save the dolphins?

Nope.

Scorponok, the first two links you posted are dead or don't work for folks outside china... the two quotes don't substantiate your claim and the third link you posted specifically states

the death of the dolphin, which may have been caused by overfishing, pollution and lack of intervention, should encourage governments and scientists to act to save other species verging on extinction.

I don't think anyone was trying to claim that the U.S. or any other government was perfect, but at least once the U.S. realized the problem they started trying to do something about it. The Chinese government has access to the same environmental studies as the U.S. gov and governments around the world but in modern times has done little to conserve species on its own soil.

Now, as I mentioned, with a billion people, more than half of whom are living in miserable conditions, China has a great deal to be concerned about without having to worry about conservation efforts, but there is certainly more they could do, even so. The problem is the Chinese government is more concerned now with trying to reap the rewards of state controlled capitalism whilst maintaining the iron control of a communist state, than it is about saving the planet.

 

[cichlid2006]

china is emerging as an economic powerhouse now and because they have ramped up production of various items they are pushing out more and more pollution which is obviously contributing to the decline of their environment.
BUT china is not alone in being this way. india is also beginning to emerge as as a huge producer of exported goods and as a result emissions.
neither country is very concerned with environmental protection because of the money involved in being bothered. it would mean radical changes in their production methods and equipment which would, inevitably, mean a loss in profit.
BUT again these 2 countries, who are the 2 major ones i can think of at the moment so i apologise for that, cannot have the blame solely placed on their shoulders. america, britain and other EU countries can have a share of the blame placed at their feet because they have created the market for cheap to produce goods that give a high profit margin. china and india have merely answered to the demand.
so while they(china, india etc) should clean up their act to be more eco-friendly, we (uk, usa etc) should also help by bringing production back to our home instead of asking for it to be made cheaply, by eco-damaging ways, and shipped here.
having it made abroad gives us a good scape-goat to blame and seems to give us reasons to bash them as we seem to forget its our stuff they are making.