Thank you for such a wonderful article, Cara. It really explains and summarises the way I feel. As an ecology student I often feel frustrated/ sad/ heartbroken for some of the actions that are being taken in the name of conservation. I do get the harm, don’t get me wrong, but I wonder: could it be done differently, especially considering that we are probably the cause in the first place? We send people to the moon and are able to perform incredibly complex surgeries etc…. I am sure killing is not the only option. And I love it when you say: the way we deal with invasive species is an attempt to mitigate human responsibility. Thank you!
Cara, this is an interesting perspective, thank you. I agree that it's not exactly fair to "hate on" a bird that causes a problem of our own making, but boy that can be tough. (Cue the feral cat issue...) Having recently returned from New Zealand where alien/introduced species are highly invasive and destructive I'm surprised how my mindset shifted to join their mentality of "they all must go." Immersion into that fragile avian world really left a mark on me. (I recently wrote about this on my stack if you're interested.) I'll try to be a bit gentler toward starlings :-)
I get it! Whenever I see a native bird fighting a starling for a nesting spot, I’m definitely rooting for that native bird, and I can imagine how that feeling is magnified in a place like New Zealand (I’ve never been, but would love to go - I’m thinking about the kakapo which I’ve always been charmed by but know is endangered primarily because of invasive species). I think it’s easier to approach starlings with a bit more nuance because they themselves are in decline and their documented effects are complicated/harder to measure with certainty (plus I just hate that we did this to them!). Subscribed to your newsletter :)
Thank you for such a wonderful article, Cara. It really explains and summarises the way I feel. As an ecology student I often feel frustrated/ sad/ heartbroken for some of the actions that are being taken in the name of conservation. I do get the harm, don’t get me wrong, but I wonder: could it be done differently, especially considering that we are probably the cause in the first place? We send people to the moon and are able to perform incredibly complex surgeries etc…. I am sure killing is not the only option. And I love it when you say: the way we deal with invasive species is an attempt to mitigate human responsibility. Thank you!
Cara, this is an interesting perspective, thank you. I agree that it's not exactly fair to "hate on" a bird that causes a problem of our own making, but boy that can be tough. (Cue the feral cat issue...) Having recently returned from New Zealand where alien/introduced species are highly invasive and destructive I'm surprised how my mindset shifted to join their mentality of "they all must go." Immersion into that fragile avian world really left a mark on me. (I recently wrote about this on my stack if you're interested.) I'll try to be a bit gentler toward starlings :-)
I get it! Whenever I see a native bird fighting a starling for a nesting spot, I’m definitely rooting for that native bird, and I can imagine how that feeling is magnified in a place like New Zealand (I’ve never been, but would love to go - I’m thinking about the kakapo which I’ve always been charmed by but know is endangered primarily because of invasive species). I think it’s easier to approach starlings with a bit more nuance because they themselves are in decline and their documented effects are complicated/harder to measure with certainty (plus I just hate that we did this to them!). Subscribed to your newsletter :)