Should we let the Kakapo die out?

[shrub]

Found this on The Press website today, and I have to agree. Yeah, the Kakapo is all good and everything, but why are we spending a brazillian dollars keeping a few dozen alive? We won't ever get to see one cruising around the garden, and neither will our kids or even their kids. At best in a hundred years there will be a few hundred alive. Tourists don't come here to see them, they don't support any other species, they're not "iconic" like the Kiwi and they don't really do anything but struggle to stay alive.

Why not take a heap of photos and then just let them die out and put the money into something like the Kiwi or even into planting trees?

[superman]

Found this on The Press website today, and I have to agree. Yeah, the Kakapo is all good and everything, but why are we spending a brazillian dollars keeping a few dozen alive? We won't ever get to see one cruising around the garden, and neither will our kids or even their kids. At best in a hundred years there will be a few hundred alive. Tourists don't come here to see them, they don't support any other species, they're not "iconic" like the Kiwi and they don't really do anything but struggle to stay alive.

Why not take a heap of photos and then just let them die out and put the money into something like the Kiwi or even into planting trees?

It should be our iconic bird, much cooler looking than the plain bloody Kiwi. And who wants to be iconised with a bird that the Aussies decided to call us after just cause we had one on a boat heading to war.

I would be all for not bothering... but because it's our fault that they have such small numbers we have a responsibility to keep them around. How much worse would it be for our tourism if we just let a species become extinct. As though we don't even give a crap.

[Swoop]

Why not take a heap of photos and then just let them die out and put the money into something like the Kiwi or even into planting trees?

Why let them die out? Auction them off to exotic bird breeders/collectors and they'll make a large wedge of folding for NZ.















j/k (for those with slow braincells)

[avgas]

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo back the fuck up.

When did Australia get a scientist?

Also some should point out that we shoot their national animals here...... so hipocrazy is obvious.

Quite fond of the feathered pig - my fav bird even

[avgas]

Why not take a heap of photos and then just let them die out and put the money into something like the Kiwi or even into planting trees?

Same could be said for the 1970's Triumph Bonneville......But we can't always get what we want

[Jantar]

Why let them die out? Auction them off to exotic bird breeders/collectors and they'll make a large wedge of folding for NZ......

No need for the j/k part at the end. No bird, animal or plant has ever gone exticnt once private breeders or farmers were permitted to breed them.

So the answer is obviously to sell off a couple of breeding pairs to home enthusiasts, and allow them to sell the offspring.

[Laava]

We could breed them to eat? Wonder if they taste as good as kereru?

Anyone remember this?

[shrub]

Same could be said for the 1970's Triumph Bonneville......But we can't always get what we want

I think I'd probably feel the same way if the government spent a fortune keeping as many old Bonnevilles on the road as possible, but because it's done by private individuals I simply shake my head and wonder why? I owned one 30 years ago and I can still remember when I bought a CB750 marvelling at the power and reliability and not having to keep the thing in my bedroom.

[shrub]

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo back the fuck up.

When did Australia get a scientist?

Ages ago. She moved over here about 8 or 9 years ago.

[Sparrowhawk]

From the article

"Professor Bradshaw, said any animal with a population below 5000 had a greater risk of extinction"

Then it's fair to say Aussie Scientists are far more likely to become extinct, there may only be 120 Kakapo, but only 3 or 4 smart aussies (and they all studied here...)

[avgas]

I think I'd probably feel the same way if the government spent a fortune keeping as many old......

Hang on - where do you live again?
$20b last time I checked.....

[shrub]

Hang on - where do you live again?

New Zealand. You should visit one day.

[avgas]

New Zealand. You should visit one day.

Yeah but where specifically
$20b is no chump change....... Lets start a vote whether Chch should die off and Timaru becomes the next big thing

[shrub]

Yeah but where specifically
$20b is no chump change....... Lets start a vote whether Chch should die off and Timaru becomes the next big thing

It would cost a lot more than $20b to move the existing business and social infrastructure to Timaru. But you're a simple chap and probably didn't understand that.

[sil3nt]

I would rather pay to keep the kakapo alive than pay to keep some lazy cuntbag alive to sit on a couch all day and watch tv or to keep someone alive so they can rot in jail.