If we cannot save the lion, no other species stands a chance
Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation, touches on several concepts discussed throughout the semester, most notably Leopold and his idea of land ethic. Travers urges action to slow the rapid decrease in the lion population by prodding one's ecological conscience with the introduction of Christian the lion and a laundry list of negative human interaction that has resulted in the near extinction of the pride of Africa (no pun intended).
The reaction that Christian has when seeing his former owners defeats the master narrative of the media: lions, and wild animals in general, are not anthropomorphic. They do not possess human qualities such as cross-species loyalty or even long-term memory that would allow an animal to conjure up memories of warmth, comfort, and play and connect it with a former owner. Ace and John were warned that Christian was in his prime, the leader of his own pride and thus whatever remnants of domestication left in him had more than likely vanished. Au contraire, not only does he recognize the pair, Christian practically leaps into their arms and even invites them to meet his feline companion, a remarkable sign of trust despite the distance time and space has put between Christian and his old friends. I watched the same video first without the music and then with the music that is available with the clip from "The View" above. The video, while incredibly cheesy, definitely made me tear up a little bit because it's so beautiful! It tugs on my heartstrings and thus my ecological conscience. If lions can display anthropomorphic qualities like so, is it true for other animals? Furthermore, if they possess human-like ways of thinking or interacting, does the matter of poaching and the devastation of their natural habitat become a more serious issue? Could it be that these are not just animals but sentient creatures with emotional qualities quite similar to one's own? If so, do we really know what it is we're taking from ourselves when we drive animals to extinction?
In "Thinking Like a Mountain", the hunter describes the impact the extinction of wolves has had on the mountain:
Lions are vital piece of the land pyramid of Africa. They are one of the top predators that stalk the grasslands and prune the lands of the weak in order to maintain the circle of life. Without them, the ecosystem of the Savannah would be devastated, and the consequences are unknowable but well described in the quote above from Leopold's reading. Travers notes that while it is unlikely for lions to become completely extinct, as they 'thrive' in zoos, we will lose the lion that is the king of Africa: the wild lion with a "fierce green fire" dancing in its eyes. While in the reading, the green fire in the wolf's eyes was a symbol of the web of life and all minor and major connections to the environment around the wolf. The same is also true about the fire in all wild animal's eyes. They are meant to be free: to roam by instinct and to live life as they were "destined" or "programmed" to by Mother Nature or God or whomever. What good is a lion to the world if it's in a cage? If zoos are meant to be just endless strings of eye candy for humans, why not be less selfish and watch lions television or visit a rehabilitative park where they may roam free in a simulation of their natural environment rather than behind bars like a prisoner sentenced to life, abused and unjustly convicted by humanity?
The reaction that Christian has when seeing his former owners defeats the master narrative of the media: lions, and wild animals in general, are not anthropomorphic. They do not possess human qualities such as cross-species loyalty or even long-term memory that would allow an animal to conjure up memories of warmth, comfort, and play and connect it with a former owner. Ace and John were warned that Christian was in his prime, the leader of his own pride and thus whatever remnants of domestication left in him had more than likely vanished. Au contraire, not only does he recognize the pair, Christian practically leaps into their arms and even invites them to meet his feline companion, a remarkable sign of trust despite the distance time and space has put between Christian and his old friends. I watched the same video first without the music and then with the music that is available with the clip from "The View" above. The video, while incredibly cheesy, definitely made me tear up a little bit because it's so beautiful! It tugs on my heartstrings and thus my ecological conscience. If lions can display anthropomorphic qualities like so, is it true for other animals? Furthermore, if they possess human-like ways of thinking or interacting, does the matter of poaching and the devastation of their natural habitat become a more serious issue? Could it be that these are not just animals but sentient creatures with emotional qualities quite similar to one's own? If so, do we really know what it is we're taking from ourselves when we drive animals to extinction?
In "Thinking Like a Mountain", the hunter describes the impact the extinction of wolves has had on the mountain:
I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death.
Lions are vital piece of the land pyramid of Africa. They are one of the top predators that stalk the grasslands and prune the lands of the weak in order to maintain the circle of life. Without them, the ecosystem of the Savannah would be devastated, and the consequences are unknowable but well described in the quote above from Leopold's reading. Travers notes that while it is unlikely for lions to become completely extinct, as they 'thrive' in zoos, we will lose the lion that is the king of Africa: the wild lion with a "fierce green fire" dancing in its eyes. While in the reading, the green fire in the wolf's eyes was a symbol of the web of life and all minor and major connections to the environment around the wolf. The same is also true about the fire in all wild animal's eyes. They are meant to be free: to roam by instinct and to live life as they were "destined" or "programmed" to by Mother Nature or God or whomever. What good is a lion to the world if it's in a cage? If zoos are meant to be just endless strings of eye candy for humans, why not be less selfish and watch lions television or visit a rehabilitative park where they may roam free in a simulation of their natural environment rather than behind bars like a prisoner sentenced to life, abused and unjustly convicted by humanity?
Unlike the lion, which waits for our omnipotent will to be known, we have a choice. To destroy or to protect, to squander or to save. If we cannot conserve with compassion, make room for and appreciate the wild lion, then no other species stands a chance. If wild lions go, then, for the rest, it's only a matter of time.It is our duty, Leopold would say, to preserve the land ethic. The plague of human overpopulation must be quarantined; we are a disease that has spread almost completely all over the globe. We must preserve the integrity of the world in order to protect all life on this Earth. We are all part of this circle of life, and we are a species that can become extinct just like the lion or the wolf.
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