Comments on: Do Pelicans Deserve Their Cruel Fate?

By: Dick Payne

Dick Payne — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:43:54 +0000

Damn the man save the pelicans I

By: jo

jo — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:28:00 +0000

In response to all the people up in arms defending pelicans:

Screw pelicans. Let them all die off, some other nicer bird will fill their niche. HA!

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:59:00 +0000

There are many “rapist” bird species. Mallard ducks, the most common duck species in the world, are rapists, murderers and necrophiliacs. They’ve even been documented attempting to copulate with the dead. Several males will gang rape a female, often drowning her in the process, only to continue raping her dead body. They also have an unusually high rate (up to 19%) of homosexuality and homosexual necrophilia has also been documented. So if we’re going to impose human morality upon wildlife species, and regardless of what your thoughts are on the morality of homosexuality, those ignorant enough to apply morality to animals and who judge animals in this fashion must say mallards are far more immoral, or amoral, than pelicans. So why not rail on about mallards rather than trash a species that is struggling. Better yet, pray for mallard extinction.

While we’re at it, why don’t we criticize our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, so genetically similar to humans that we can transfuse their blood. There is ample evidence of rape, murder, incest, infanticide, cannibalism, etc. In fact, nearly every adult chimpanzee in existence must be guilty of one of these “crimes”. I’d argue that you’d be hard pressed to identify a species in existence that isn’t guilty of one of some abominable behavior.

The only reason we as humans find these behaviors so repugnant is because we fine them so within our own species. We are repulsed by our selves. This repulsion should not affect perspective in the consideration of other species in the animal kingdom. As I have already said, suggesting that a struggling species deserves its fate, when we are ultimately to blame is ignorant. A more valid argument is that humanity must pay for its crimes against world ecology and the pelican declines are just another example of our responsibility.

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Imposing human morality and judgement upon a wildlife species is ignorant and detracts from the urgency surrounding the pelican’s recent and sudden die-off. Human activities are consistently to blame for species declines of this sort. We should be focusing on the causes of the die-off and are better off without the distractions this article represents. Species in decline should not be preserved because they are cute and fuzzy but because they are each an integral part of our biodiversity. The extinction of one will have repercussions for all.

By: Jackson Landers

Jackson Landers — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:31:00 +0000

Doug K.,

Let me ask you something; would you send angry emails to the American Heart Association for failing to take action against AIDS in Africa?

In that vein, do you ever watch television? Have you read a book lately? Watched the sun set? How DARE you watch television or read a book when there are homeless people sleeping on cardboard! Now tell me how it is exactly that it’s ok for you to read a book while something bad is happening in the world but it’s not ok for Ransom and the rest of us to spend 5 minutes making fun of pelicans?

Meanwhile, you were the one who saw the little girl sleeping on cardboard. Not me. Did you invite her family to sleep in your living room? Unless they are sitting on your couch right now, I gently suggest that you stop throwing stones at anyone else.

Homelessness is real and the Iraq war continues and simultaneously pelicans are out there acting like jerks. The world is a big place.

By: Doug K

Doug K — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:10:00 +0000

How egotistical of us to to think animals should adhere to our “upstanding moral qualities”

Maybe you should take a look around and see how well we treat our own weak and hungry. I saw a little girl sleeping on a piece of cardboard on a downtown street just a couple days ago. This occurs even as we continue to spend billions on a war that can never be “won” because nobody really understands what is going on there.

Pull your head out of that dark sunless orofice and get a grip on reality. What pelicans do to each other doesn’t mean a damn thing when measured against that one little girl sleeping on cardboard. Now multiply that little girl by the hundred thousand or so homeless in just our country and tell me again why we are so damn worried about pelicans?!?!?!

Idiots!!

By: Florida

Florida — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:28:00 +0000

I am in utter disbelief of this article and the reactions. Sure some pelicans are rapists, but not all are. I am dumbfounded there are those of you are willing to stereotype all Pelicans for the devious actions of some. I find it disgusting to see these anti-pelican generalizations attributed to an entire species.
Has any one thought maybe these pelicans were abused as little pelicans?
Maybe they need counseling.
If the evil actions Mr. Ransom speaks of are true, then maybe there should be a pelican court where offending pelicans are tried for thier crimes and sentenced accordingly. After all these are AMERICAN pelicans and they too are innocent until proven guilty.

By: Colby

Colby — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:25:00 +0000

This reminds me of a theory discussed in Michael Chriton’s The Lost World. It states that extinction may not only be driven by outside influences, but by a pattern of maladaptive behavior. I think the lesson in this article is that if these behaviors in pelicans really are maladaptive, and if they are really causing pelicans to die inexplicably, that is all the more reason to keep OUR species to some sort of moral code.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:39:00 +0000

You knew it was coming, didn’t you?

A wonderful bird is the pelican, whose beak will hold more than his belican.

With apologies to Walt Whitman, I would add:

He is rude to his brood, unspeakably crude. On the blogs, when it’s time to raise helican

By: BassMan

BassMan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:05:00 +0000

I can’t believe you could be serious.