Henk - believe it or not, I think exactly as you do. For the past few
years, I've been making a living of sorts by selling bits & pieces to
tourists (in Majorca). They love sharks teeth pendants, so I provided them.
What was happening, worldwide, to sharks didn't occur to me at all, until
the prices suddenly started to rise. (I live about 100 miles from Leyte
Gulf, the site of the greatest naval battle of all time, where, according
to the propaganda, hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans were lost in
WWII 'in shark-infested waters')
From 'shark-infestation' to a complete collapse in just 60 years is
something we should worry about. Not that we can do much about it - in the
same period the rising Chinese demand for sharkfin soup has left
thousands, if not millions of finless, helpless sharks to be left as
living corpses in the ocean.
--------------------------
Chinese use of rhino horn, tigers testicles etc
- When I first came here, people would come to me and plead for money to
buy medicine for their children, and I would listen, and help if I could.
Then I began to realise they were buying Amoxycillin, or some other
patented antibiotic, to cure a cough or a cold. Use of any antibiotic
medicine eventually results in antibiotic-resistant strains of germs, and
that makes things worse in the long run.
Now, I tell them they should go out and find the herb that their
grandparents would have used with complete success.
But they`re ashamed to do that, because it's not 'progress'
If some very rich Chinese billionaire (there are very few of them) thinks
he needs the essence of tiger's testicles to boost his long lost virility,
shouldn't we send out some "Environmental Attack Teams" to stuff some
Viagra or Cialis down his throat?
regards
Richard
On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:04:05 +0300, mienis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Richard, it is a pity for you, but I don't think that sharks are swimming
>around in Philippine waters for the one and only purpose: a cheap source
for
>expensive sharkteeth necklaces, which will be sold to Spanish tourists.
>What is your opinion about rhino's being illegaly killed in Africa solely
>for their horns being turned into a Chinese traditional medicine, or the
>testicles of tigers are being powdered into a wonder remedy for human
>potency, etc.etc. I don't think that sharks, rhino's, tigers, and numerous
>other animals are living on earth solely for being exploited in one way or
>another by human beings.
>Best regards,
>Henk K. Mienis
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Richard Parker" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 8:19 AM
>Subject: Re: Rapidly developing danger to Indo-Pacific reefs - and now,
>America
>
>
>>
>> Ross - as a follow-up to my stuff about top predators take a look at
this:
>>
>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070330/ap_on_sc/sharks_shellfish_5
>>
>> We've just about eliminated sharks around here. Shark teeth, that I used
>> to make into pendants for Spanish tourists, now cost six times what they
>> used to about 5 years ago. I can't make a profit from them anymore, so I
>> use 40My old fossil ones from NY state instead.
>>
>> The world is going to hell in a basket.
>>
>> regards
>>
>> Richard Parker
>> Siargao Island, The Philippines.
>>
>>
>
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