Are humans more important than animals?

[igloo9201]

Also, when I first saw the "save the phillapines children" commercial I was like aaaaaaaw!

 

When I first saw one of thos ASPCA commercials (What did I do wrong? Why did you abandon me?) I almost burst into tears.

 

Show my cousin a clip from a movie where a guy falls off a cliff, she bursts out laughing.

 

Show her a video about wolf hunting (not trying to argue with any facts here. My cousin doesn't know as much about wolves as I do. she's an "I hate wolf hunting because it's mean" type of girl) and she starts sobbing uncontrolably (heck, i cry every time i watch that video too. mostly hecause one of them looks like a wolf i knew (i never necessarilly liked her, but I knew her) named Eclipse).

[OnyxKitteh]

I don't have a problem with hunting if you use the meat as food. I mean we are part of the food chain as well... but hunting for fun? That I find just sick. How can you kill an innocent animal and find it fun? Well, I am not sure people falling off a cliff in funny... it just depends. Like if these people are being total idiots or being rude to someone (such as an animal.) and then fall off, I'm sure I would burst out laughing as well. Because it's like a "that's what you get" kind of thing. Like karma. But if someone is sitting by a cliff, minding their own business, then someone pushes them off, I don't find that funny at all.

 

I do feel bad for the people in places like the Phillapines and places in Africa who have to fight each day just to survive, while in the places where I live, everyone I see is a fat cow... I would say I am about equal with animals and people that have to go through so much to live.

 

And yes, some animals are smarter than human, but in a certain way. Like dolphins/whales and cats. There are different types of... smarts.

 

You can be book smart or maybe... puzzle smart? I think it's called street smart but what ever. Or maybe I should say clever? So yeah, knowledge doesn't really make you smart.

Here's a good example: My sister is really good in school, but one day she couldn't reach something so she hopped onto the stove. It was on, but she should of known that because my mom was cooking something... that wasn't too smart...

 

Another example would be cats and dogs. People say dogs are smarter than cat... but of course they are not smart enough to understand that they are smart in their own way. Cats are clever and learn by them selves. They can get out of the most tricky situation. But they normally don't learn tricks and such like a dog can. My dog is quite... stupid... Sorry Dixie! X3 She runs into things and runs over to me but stumbles over things trying to. But she knows tricks and stuff. But my cat knows how to open doors. He watched us open doors because he likes going outside, so he learned by himself... sort of. We didn't really teach him that. He just thought, "Hmmm, how do they get outside?" Then watched us and learned.

Edited November 27, 2013 by OnyxKitteh

[panfish5awesome]

I think its awful how many people are saying that we should kill off humans because we are overpopulating. Would you kill billions of innocent human beings with a push of a button then walk outside to see everyone you loved dead? And how do we know humans are are the worse things to happen to animals, who knows we may just save all life on this planet from a massive killer asteroid (extremely unlikely to happen but just an example). But overall I think I would split my money between the two charities.

[OnyxKitteh]

Killing away the people is not the only way to lower a population.

 

Yes, humans still try to help animals, but still...

 

Anyway, I find 7 billion to be ridiculous. We are a big problem towards animals. We destroy their homes to make homes for ourselves because our population is growing!

 

Think about it. Some people have 4 children. Then those 4 have 4 children of their own. It keeps going on. Sooner or later there will be no more room.

Most animals don't have that problem because the food chain balances them out. But humans normally... please notice the word normally... don't get killed randomly by something. Depending on where you live, you don't think about suvival 24.7. Wild animals do.

Edited November 28, 2013 by OnyxKitteh

[vivo]

Of course humans are more important than animals. What makes humans so different is the complete understanding of death and it's unavoidability. We're the only species that fears death (or doesn't, depending on beliefs and personal rationalizations.) and has at least a basic understanding of the concept.

 

The answer isn't "kill off the humans, yay, yay animals". It's education. Education is a key factor for reducing populations and keeping growth under control. The more you know the less you breed, heh. And also, as for the comment of "feeling bad about animal deaths but not the ones of humans", we tend to want to protect what we consider vulnerable. That's why babies are cute. Humans are social creatures and have developed a sense of protecting the weaker, for pure survival reasons.

 

And animals are not smarter than humans in any way. We are far more intelligent than most of the planet's other species (notable exceptions being certain marine animals). I do consider the captivity of highly intelligent creatures to be unethical though. A wolf being held captive, as long as it's not being abused and is living a content life is okay with me, but dolphins for example, which are far more complex and showcase a far wider range of individuality should be left to thrive on their own.

 

EDIT: Also, what's with the wolves? There are a million other species we should be focusing on. What? So now suddenly the pretty ones are more important? Inb4: Majestic wolfs omg!!1!one so cute <3 safe teh wolfs!!

What about Amazonian frogs? Or plant preservation? The urang-utangs, the European brown bear, coral reefs?

 

I see so much hype about grey wolves, which are thriving in America, yet no interest what's so ever for other animals.

Edited November 28, 2013 by flitzthesoulreaper

[sparkle10184]

Of course humans are more important than animals. What makes humans so different is the complete understanding of death and it's unavoidability. We're the only species that fears death (or doesn't, depending on beliefs and personal rationalizations.) and has at least a basic understanding of the concept.

What? You think other animals don't fear death? They do. Some absolutely do. Example:

A dolphin is swimming peacefully along in the ocean. Suddenly a boat comes up and captures the dolphin and puts it in a tiny tank. The dolphin will be scared, right? Then it is forced to watch other dolphins being slaughtered. Then someone starts hurting the dolphin and cutting it with knives. It's going to be pretty scared.

I'm not saying that scenario happens all the time, it's just an example to show you that other animals besides humans are scared of death.

 

Edit: Just wanted to reply to your second sentence about humans having a complete understanding of death. No one completely understands death. No one truly knows what happens after death. You might want to re word that sentence.

Edited November 28, 2013 by sparkle10184

[edwardelricfreak]

Honestly I think most, if not all, animals fear death. That's why they fight to survive as long as they can. That's why they have distress calls for when they are in danger, and flee from predators. They don't want to die.

[TheAkatsuki]

In my honest opinion, and to me, animals have a larger priority. All they do is strive for survival, while we mostly just ruin their homes, kill off them and their children (for "population control..") or try to use them in many different ways, which is wrong. The fact that we place ourselves above them so often is merely a display of arrogance and I'm tired of seeing it everywhere I go.

[georgexu94]

Not really, since that case is decades old and that drug is now synthesized.

I am fully aware that the drug was already synthesised but may I ask what exactly took place?

[DigitalGarden]

EDIT: Also, what's with the wolves? There are a million other species we should be focusing on. What? So now suddenly the pretty ones are more important? Inb4: Majestic wolfs omg!!1!one so cute <3 safe teh wolfs!!

What about Amazonian frogs? Or plant preservation?  The urang-utangs, the European brown bear, coral reefs?

 

I see so much hype about grey wolves, which are thriving in America, yet no interest what's so ever for other animals.

Because they're fluffy! Majestic! Graceful!

 

But no srsly, while in US there is no problem with floof population, here in Poland we can see them mostly in zoos now :/ They were almost completely killed off in 1973 when only around 100 wolves left. Now the species is law protected and hunting is prohibited except in (self)defense. I guess seeing a wild wolf here is like catching a CB Prize in the AP, pretty much d:

 

Also plants<3 I think I have one endangered species of a fern in my collection but I'm still not sure. I suck at identifying fern. Oops.

[7Deadly$ins]

I am fully aware that the drug was already synthesised but may I ask what exactly took place?

I don't have an intimate understanding of the case. I looked it up. The written piece seems to be a scenario designed to be used in classrooms and is not a news article or anything like that. So there's probably some dramatization there. As for the resolution, it appears that tension was caused between environmentalists and drug creators for quite some time until the drug was able to be synthesized. As for the Native American involvement, I couldn't actually find anything on the internet regarding their involvement so I am not sure if it was dramatized to add in a more compelling human factor or not.

[georgexu94]

I don't have an intimate understanding of the case. I looked it up. The written piece seems to be a scenario designed to be used in classrooms and is not a news article or anything like that. So there's probably some dramatization there. As for the resolution, it appears that tension was caused between environmentalists and drug creators for quite some time until the drug was able to be synthesized. As for the Native American involvement, I couldn't actually find anything on the internet regarding their involvement so I am not sure if it was dramatized to add in a more compelling human factor or not.

Ah, thanks anyway. Actually we even discussed the relation of IPR here too. Which didn't registered in my mind at first.

[grimace]

I think its awful how many people are saying that we should kill off humans because we are overpopulating. Would you kill billions of innocent human beings with a push of a button then walk outside to see everyone you loved dead?

No, but i would be in favor of a gigantic law spread across as many countries as possible banning having more than one (maybe two?) children.

 

We'll need something like that eventually anyway, may as well get on it now.

[sparkle10184]

The problem with that kind of law is what would happen if someone broke it and had say three kids? There's a law like that in parts of China and sometimes if someone has more than one kid the second kid is left to die. Seriously. And that is just terrible.

[edwardelricfreak]

If there were a law like that, I would limit it based on certain factors like financial income, possibly a few other things. You want a child? Save up some money. If you can't save up money, you probably shouldn't be having any children.

 

It sounds harsh, I know, but kids are EXPENSIVE.

 

But yes, it would be a problem with people still having children and then leaving them to die. :c I wouldn't want that. I say if you limit it like that, if the mother ends up with like twins or something, she should be allowed to keep both of them. Like, if the limit was 2, she only had one so far, and then on the second time she ended up with twins, she would be able to keep all 3 of her children.

 

And then there's the problem of bullying based on income, if the law were based on finances. If you're an only child, it's more likely that your family is poor, and then you get picked on...

 

Lots of problems with laws like that, though I wish they could work.

 

Anyway, that's kind of off topic by a lot. I'm certainly not saying "kill off people!" but I really wish we'd learn to control our population as much as we're trying to control the population of animals. It's hypocritical, getting our pets fixed to control breeding and population, and then not do anything for ourselves, which is why I think I have a bit more sympathy towards animals than people when it comes to charity and such.

 

That's why I would give to animal charities more, but of course I would give to charities for people.

[TomBoiiWolfie]

I don't think humans are more important than animals. Sure we can communicate and do all sorts of things but we're not any more important than animals. If we all died then the world would probably be better, but if all animals died, loads of different bad things could happen ; where would we get meat from, silk, wool, other materials, etc. That's why I think animals are more important, but whatever...

 

I've cried over like 3 animal documentaries and about 8 youtube animal videos, but only 1 movie about humans (it was an anime called Grave of the Fireflies). I know this is bad but I sometimes laugh when I see someone get hurt. I'm evil

[BlitzDrake]

Well I would donate to the Fiji Crested Iguanas.

 

And without letting my misanthropist side come out; humans have no more importance than anything else here. If anything, no animals would miss humans if they died off. If anything life would be easier for them, less pollution, more territory to reclaim, pretty much everything would be better.

[Ælex]

To answer the question: No.

We're only important to ourselves.

We're a plague to the planet's wildlife otherwise.

It'd be much better off without us around.

[igloo9201]

What? You think other animals don't fear death? They do. Some absolutely do. Example:

A dolphin is swimming peacefully along in the ocean. Suddenly a boat comes up and captures the dolphin and puts it in a tiny tank. The dolphin will be scared, right? Then it is forced to watch other dolphins being slaughtered. Then someone starts hurting the dolphin and cutting it with knives. It's going to be pretty scared.

I'm not saying that scenario happens all the time, it's just an example to show you that other animals besides humans are scared of death.

 

Edit: Just wanted to reply to your second sentence about humans having a complete understanding of death. No one completely understands death. No one truly knows what happens after death. You might want to re word that sentence.

Actually, Sparkle, you just described, with frightening accuracy, the horrors of the Taiji dolphin drives. They happen every year. Dolphin are driven into a cove by fishermen banging on metal poles to create a wall of sound that the dolphins flee from. Once in the cove, trainers from aquariums (excluding those from the US and some other countries) come and select the perfect dolphins for their shows. Then the other dolphins are slaughtered. They are now killed by the fishermen pushing a metal pole down their blowhole. Then a wooden cork is pushed in so that the water doesn't turn red with blood. They used to simply slice the dolphins up with knives, harpoons, and spears, but now do it this way to minimize blood loss. They kill anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dolphins a year, including the endangered striped dolphin. Every yearthis happens.

 

Also, when did I say I only supported wolves? I just use them as an example of how humans wreck the ecosystem because they're stupid. I support big cats, red wolves, new guinea singing dogs, and African wild dogs have become my most recent obsession. I'm also in complete opposition to the Taiji drive hunts. They must be stopped, no argument. It's not a game of numbers as most of the dolphins killed are the abundant bottlenose dolphin. It is simply thee unimaginable cruelty. Animals can feel fear, and pain. Dolphins are smart enough to know what's happening as they die a slow, painful death. Even nowadays, when the dolphins are butchered they're sometimes still alive. They writhe and try to get away, all while producing distress calls, which scientists have shown to accompany the most brutal pain. Dolphins, like most wild animals, try to mask their pain. To produce nonstop distress calls is proof of how much pain these intelligent mammals go through. And all for sustainance, even though dolphin meat has been proved to have high mercury content. I'm okay with Native Americans humanely killing five minke whales a year, or whatever baleen whale they kill. But butchering hundreds of occasionally living dolphins in Japan is sick.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Animals are more important than humans. I would most definitely donate to the Wildlife Conservation or my local animal shelter than donate to St. Judes or Make A Wish.

 

Why? So many people donate to those charities. Yet, no one really pays attention to the animals, which annoys the out of me [excuse my French].

 

I actually spoke to my mom about it. She says I'm wrong and animals are "just animals". They have no feelings, etc.

I told her "children are just children".

 

I DO feel sorry for those kids. I believe that they should get aid. But St. Judes spends MILLIONS ofdollars a week, while animal shelters are struggling to keep all of the animals safe from harm. Yet, no one realizes that THOUSANDS of animals are put to sleep every day because they have no space for them.

 

Also, I don't get what's the big deal with human babies. I personally think that pups, kits, hatchlings are so much cuter. That, and babies are sometimes brats while the pups and kits and all of the other good stuff appreciate what they can get.

Edited December 11, 2013 by TwilightMoonDragon

[7Deadly$ins]

Baby animals can be just as fussy, bratty, and selfish as human babies. Not all animals "appreciate what they can get." Cats are a pretty good example of this. Dogs will usually eat what they can find when they are hungry, but cats can and will starve themselves to death if they don't like their food.

[DragonSpirit009]

I think animals are more important and I will support people who are for animals. Supporting humans is second for me.

 

Animals is quite important in our lives not only because they is part of our food supply. They tend to nature as well. Bee’s and other insects pollinate our plants. Even those *shudders* roaches have a roll to play... they actually keep the sewers pretty clean, they are almost like vulture’s, just very disgusting ones. And there are plenty more things but I’m not gonna translate it now

 

I know there is a lot of people in this world who is suffering from poverty and those who are abused but think about it... who is to blame for those actions. Humans are. Who cuts of people food supply for their own greedy needs... Humans. Who rapes a child for no reason... Humans.

 

In the wildlife animals only defend themselves because we are destroying their homes. Example: I know for a fact a lion doesn’t attack someone unless its home is threatened or if it hungry. They can go for days without food and only hunt when they need to.

 

When I was younger I use to go to Onderstepoort, Veterinary Institute and the University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science, and when I was there I saw a lot of animal being miss treated by humans for no reason. It was really sad, injuring an animal that can’t even defend it self.

 

I will always be for animals but unless the human race can change I don’t think a topic like this will ever die down.

[Yeeyee]

I dont think all humans should die, but i think that the population could go down by about maybe 6 billion? Thats not all of them, that leaves about 1 billion humans left, and i would give 500 to humans, and 500 to animals.

[Magic199]

I honestly think I will donate to both if I had enough money. I really try to help as much as possible, though. I think we're both equally important.

[Fightandspawn]

Animals.