Parasitic Nature of Humans

For centuries, humans have dominated the food chain. We eat everything that isn’t poisonous and we even eat poisonous stuff after figuring out how to do so without dying. To make it worse, we hunt for sport as well as food. We have pretty much single handedly wiped out animal populations and caused their extinction. The mass extinction of animals peaked during the 18-19th centuries during the colonial period. Any historian can tell you that the colonial period was one romanticized with patriotism, bravery and glory. Naturally, most colonialists were eager to bring home hunting trophies of strange animals to establish their courage and skill to all the people who never had a chance to explore to the “mysterious east”. It’s not uncommon to see the homes of British gentlemen decorated with stuffed head of animals they have hunted in their sojourns in Africa or India. I can’t imagine living in a house full of mounted heads staring sightlessly at you with their beady glass eyes…

The age of exploration which started around the 16th century brought grief to isolated human and animal populations. The introduction of new diseases and new animals had sown discord in the natural ecology of the “new world”.

Here is a short list of animals that have been driven into extinction by the 18th-19th century:
1.Passenger Pigeon- In the early 1800s, they existed in huge flocks by the billions. Unfortunately, over-hunting resulted in the last sighted wild Passenger Pigeon in 1900 and the last Passenger Pigeon died in 1914.

2.Heath Hen- this hen had a reputation for being a poor man’s food because it was cheap and plentiful. Naturally, they were hunted in extinction. The last bird died in 1932.

3.Dodo- this flightless bird had no fear of humans at all. They became extinct when new animals were introduced to the Mauritius- pigs, cats, dogs, rats, etc, who plundered dodo nests in search of food. Active deforestation also destroyed nesting sites. They died out somewhere before the 17th century..


4.Tasmanian Tiger/ Thylacines- they were avidly hunted down because they were credited as sheep and poultry thieves. The bounty of £1 per head for dead adult Thylacines and ten shillings for pups was offered by Van Damien’s Land Company. These two factors resulted in relentless hunting of Thylacines. The introduction of wild dogs created greater competition for hunting grounds and a sudden outbreak of a distemper-like disease spelt their end. The last Thylacine died in captivity in 1936.


5.St Helena Redwood- this tree used to grow abundantly in Saint Helena. However, they were the favored building material for early settlers in the 17th century. It is now extinct in the wild.

6.Dwarf Ebony- This tree was discovered in 1502 and driven into extinction by the introduction of goats by the 1800s.(No Image)

As if the extinctions of these animals and plants aren’t enough, humans are still threatening the existence of many animals and plants! Just look at the rampant deforestation that occurs daily for the sake of land clearance and timber for building and fuel needs. Overfishing has threatened the ocean ecology. Let’s take a look at a few animals that are under the threat of extinction and how efforts have been made to prevent the inevitable.

1.Giant Panda- there is estimated population of 1000-3000 of them left in the wild. They are in danger of extinction because deforestation of bamboo grooves. Attempts to make them breed in captivity aren’t very successful and scientists have been reduced to feeding them Viagra and showing them videos of other pandas mating. Now, the primary method in use in artificial insemination. Personally, I think the pandas aren’t breeding for one reason- being shy creatures, it’s hard to have sex when there’s an audience watching you.

2.Sharks (in general)- I hated the movie Jaws for a reason. It gave sharks a really bad reputation as man eaters, especially the Great Whites. Great Whites bite surfers because from the bottom view, surfers lying on their boards look like seals. Great Whites normally let go off people once they realized they aren’t the nice fatty seals that they like. Shark populations have also decreased rapidly due to commercial fishing. They get caught in fishing nets accidentally and they are hunted for their fins. I’ve started boycotting sharks fin soup ever since I saw the video clip of fishermen dumping sharks back into the sea ALIVE to drown after their fins have been removed. That’s just to cruel.


3.White Tiger- There are only around 200 of them left in the world. Hunting and poaching has reduced their populations significantly. Due to their mythological status as creatures of power and vitality, there is a high demand for tiger pelts, teeth and bones. For medicinal purposes, tiger penis is highly valued as an aphrodisiac. Deforestation and human encroachment has also destroyed most of the tigers’ natural habitats.

4.Elephant- they are the largest animals on land, and yet they are in danger of extinction thanks to poaching and hunting for ivory. I feel very sad when I see video clips of dead elephants left to rot after their tusks are removed.

5.Whales- by the 19th century, active whaling had deflated many a whale population. Whales were hunted for their oil (as fuel for lamps) and bone (to make whalebone corsets). In today’s context, pollution and global warming has threatened their food source and affected their breeding abilities.

6.Sea Turtles- These gentle creatures threatened by coastal development, direct take of turtles and eggs, pollution and pathogens global warming and fisheries impacts. Fisheries impacts are thought to be one of the leading causes for sea turtle death and injury worldwide and can occur when turtles bite baited hooks, become entangled in fishing lines, are crushed by dredges.
Aren’t humans parasitic? Our blatant greed and lack of consideration has caused the extinction of many animals and threatened the existence of many others. Conservation efforts are an uphill task, even if we successfully implement breeding programs, will we have the ability to introduce animals back into the wild and protect them from threats of diseases? The ideal human population level should be less than 100million globally to me. It was the point in history where we were the least destructive. With a population of 6billion people and counting, will never be enough space for us and other animals and plants?

We have always preached curtailing the population of animals or plants that we deem to be “pests” or “parasites”- termites, bees, bats, moss, rats, snakes, spiders, alligators, etc. Should we start limiting human population growth too? We are the biggest pest/parasite in terms of the food chain after all! I find it amazing how humans are fighting so hard against Nature's attempts to establish population control- SARs, H1N1, Chicken Pox, Small Pox, Syphilis, AIDs, etc. Human advancement is science and technology is truly an enemy of nature.

Medicine has extended the lifespan of humans and reduced our mortality rate. We have even wiped out deadly diseases such as small pox and we have never experienced the death rates of the bubonic plague. Because population growth, we clear the land like no tomorrow and to fuel our energy and building needs, we chop down even more trees. Destroying natural habitats and causing global warming. These in turn result in the mass extinction of flora and fauna. Are we truly the source and solution of all of Earth's problems?