Planned extinction: Is it ethical to deliberately wipe out a species?

[mornelithe]

spurgeonryan said:

mornelithe said:

Well, they're great for scientific study, that's for sure.  But, Smallpox, Polio etc... are already frozen at numerous sites for just such a reason (also, in case a future outbreak occurs so we have samples on hand).

But lets say they are part of the animal food chain or have a purpose. Or are these just here to keep population of certain species down?

No, we can't just say they're part of the animal food chain, because the organisms listed certainly are not (Come up with a few viable examples and we can discuss those).  It also doesn't jive with our willful destruction of Apex predators, who keep populations of certain species in check far more than virii.  Like, in Vermont for example, Bear, Wolves, Coyotes, and Catamounts 'were' all part of the ecosystem, to keep the large herbivore (Deer) species in check.  The wholesale slaughter of those species requires the State to have a yearly cull, because if the deer population isn't kept in check, every scientific model suggests the ecosystem will collapse as the deer population explodes and consumes all ground level vegetation.

So, it's a great thing to talk about, but there are better ways to allow nature to control itself, and few seem to care.