5.7.2010

Tolerating biodiversity, but NIMBY

The police in Helsinki have become very active in killing elks. In a couple of days, one elk was shot when swimming towards the Korkeasaari zoo, the other was executed in Myllypuro.

It makes sense in one way, of course. Large animals, like elks, can be rather irritating and even scary when they get too close, and dangerous if you hit them with a car or a motorbike. But isn't that rather the fault of the motorist?

I see a double standard here. People who live in Helsinki are generally very unhappy if reindeer herders in Lapland kill wolverines, or people in North Karelia shoot wolves and bears in order to protect their domestic animals (and even people). There's no end to the mocking of dumb peasants who irrationally fear animals and kill these beautiful things. Many people in Helsinki call an end to all hunting. But still: wolverines, wolves and bears are predators. They kill other animals routinely, and in rare circumstances they even might attack people.

Elks, on the other hand, are vegetarian pacifists. They don't kill people, they don't eat other animals. But whenever elks approach the central parts of Helsinki, they are exterminated on the spot. Couldn't people in Helsinki area practice the biodiversity and peaceful cohabitation also in their own turf, and not just outsource it to other people somewhere far away?

I remember there was quite a hysteria when, a few years ago, a bear passed our house in Espoo, on a lakeshore about 100-200 m away. It was tracked down in Kauniainen and shot. Not many people complained, although the bear had done no more and no less wrong than the other bears that are killed by illegitimate hunters in Karelia.

It is always more comfortable to sit in ants' nests with other people's arses. People in Helsinki area seem to be very willing to preach for biodiversity, as long as it's NIMBY.

(Note: I'm not advocating for open season for killing wolves and bears in remote areas. However, I think people should be always justified in shooting a wolf or a bear when it is on their front yard or attacks livestock.)

--

PS. A great fuss today about a bear in Tampere. They actually employed the country-wide emergency notification system, which changes channel in my car radio, turn volume up HUGE and then tells me that there's a bear loose. 150 km away from where I live. Elsewhere, that's supposed to be entirely normal, and people should actually feel proud of having wildlife around.

Ei kommentteja:

Lähetä kommentti