Local extinction affects the whole world
I just read a long and sobering article in National Geographic about how millions of wild birds are routinely killed all around the Mediterranean region.
Albania, Italy and northern Africa were spotlighted, but they’re just the worst of the bird-killing nations. Every type of bird is killed, allegedly for food, but in reality the hunters torture and kill legions of birds for sport. Sometimes, when the killers get older, they say they feel a tinge of regret for the thousands of wild birds they’ve each killed, but by then the damage has been done.
It’s ironic that, the further north a person goes, the more the people there appreciate birds that are alive and free. In contrast, the farther south one travels, the more ignorance dominates the cruel acts of people with guns and nets and audio recordings of bird songs used to attract prey.
What can be done to slow the goose-stepping march to extinction? From Thailand’s perspective, leaders could send formal protests to the embassies of countries at the vanguard of the decimation, namely Italy, Albania and Egypt. Of course, that won’t be done because the extinction of birds is considered a silly reason for one country’s government to voice a complaint to another.
The offending country, if it doesn’t simply ignore the notice, will simply say something like, “We are aware of the problem and are attempting to fix it.” Alternatively, “Who is Thailand to suggest what we might do about endangered species when shark fins and ivory are sold in Bangkok every day?”
Extinction of species affects people far outside the borders of countries that contribute to the decimation. Killing tens of millions of birds is not just an issue that affects the country in which they’re killed. In the broader picture, it adversely affects everyone who gives a hoot for wildlife.
Ken Albertsen
Chiang Rai
