FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] House sparrows

["Ben Yandell" <by@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Coincidentally, this month's issue of Birding (American Birding Association
magazine) has a note about the difference in British and American attitudes
toward the house sparrow.  The species is declining dramatically in both
Great Britain and the US.  According to Birding magazine, in the US, house
sparrow numbers are down 60% in breeding bird surveys since 1980.  The
British have a prize ready for the person who figures out why house sparrow
numbers are dropping.  We devise new ways to kill them.

I realize that house sparrows are not native to this continent.  Neither is
homo sapiens.

I guess it comes down to whether you value only the species or also the
living individuals of that species.  I worry about a world where we've
destroyed the natural habitat and then revile the animals that can survive
in the new habitat we've created.  Where "nature" is what we manipulate it
to be.

I'm no fan of introduced species -- especially those that come to dominate
their new home.  I'm just not convinced that we are good at deciding which
animals are acceptable and which aren't.

And somewhere along the line, we seem to lose our humanity.

Ben Yandell
Louisville

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