Andrew Wetzler's Blog
Requiem for a Dolphin
August 9, 2007
Posted by Andrew Wetzler in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Well, it's official. After weeks of searching, scientists have declared the Yangtze River dolphin (or baiji) extinct. Weighing up to 500 pounds, thousands of baiji could once be found in the Yangtze River but hunting, destructive fishing practices, and industrialization was more than this ancient marine mammal could handle.
Whenever something goes extinct, I'm always reminded of Aldo Leopold's famous essay about the death of the last passenger pigeon: "Men still live who, in their youth remember pigeons; trees still live that, in their youth, were shaken by a living wind. But a few decades hence only the oldest oaks will remember, and at long last only the hills will know."
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- Andrew Wetzler
- Director, Endangered Species Project
- Chicago
- I grew up in New York City but spent my summers canoeing and hiking in...
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Comments
Chris — Aug 10 2007 08:58 AM
Short, simple, eloquent, powerful. I found this to be a bitter-sweet morning dose of inspiration to protect what's left of the natural world.
Icare Doyou — Aug 10 2007 01:42 PM
What a sad, beautiful piece. Thanks so much for the Leopold quote.