Day 412: I'm sorry my Existence Inconveniences you

49 Endangered Cape vultures have died in Natal South Africa, after eating what looks like from poisoned sheep carcasses on a farm. It is illegal to use poison bait in South Africa. It is illegal to use poison for any other purpose other than its intended use. The deaths of these birds is equivalent to the slaughtering of as many rhinos in terms of the impact it has on the species. There are an estimated 5000 - 8000 of these birds left in the wild, and their numbers are dwindling rapidly. They are regularly electrocuted by power pylons, killed for muthi and poisoned.

Killing any animal simply because it inconveniences us is evil, but then going on to say that it is somehow more evil to kill certain animals because we have killed too many of them already goes to show how little we consider and value life. So we are now making the statement that rarity implies some higher value.

To us, animals are one of 2 things: useful, or an inconvenience. The useful ones are treated with anything ranging from humanity and compassion to cruelty, neglect and genocide. The ones that "inconvenience" us are treated with anything ranging from disregard to genocide. The only animals whose numbers remain high are the ones we breed to eat, entertain us or give us something to love - most other wild animals, especially the ones with nice fur or horns, are killed en masse.

At what point have we considered living in balance, consideration and cooperation with animals, instead of murdering them simply for existing? Or how about those who kill because they like it. They develop a god-complex and feel a rush of power whenever they take the life of some creature that has no way to defend itself or outsmart it's predator. I don't even want to say "predator" - that implies the act of hunting as a requirement as opposed to being a sport.

Imagine if you were treated with such disregard. Imagine you are trying to survive, do what your ancestors have been doing for generations in the same place - and that this is enough to get you killed. Many animals die in the name of "protecting human profits/assets" - especially farm stock. What the hell are the wild animals supposed to do? We have taken their homes away, their hunting grounds - it is either kill some sheep or starve to death - there is no other choice for them. They can't call up for a home delivery of fillet steak. Tell me what other choice they have.

The fact that we are unable and unwilling to consider animals as living beings with an intrinsic value equal to our own shows us how we have developed our value systems. A TV has more value than most animals. WTF.