Survival of the Cutest

[DJ Droood]

For endangered species, it pays to be a large mammal with sad eyes that cuddles its babies. Glamorous animals, big predators and, above all, the extremely cute and fuzzy stand a chance of getting people to protect them and their habitats.

Ugly animals — as judged by human eyes — are far more likely to be left aside when humans draw up conservation plans. Anyone care to save Ontario’s rattlesnakes?

Canadian ecology experts say such thinking means we’re in danger of re-shaping nature to beautify it according to human notions of what’s pretty, saving the mammals but letting the reptiles and amphibians disappear.

As for plants, they’re barely even on the list of candidates for protection.

He set out to describe what attributes make animals attractive to humans. The successful candidate will exhibit:

• Usefulness (providing humans with food, clothing or medicine);

• Human-like traits, such as having a high forehead and expressive eyes and being a mammal, or at least a vertebrate;

• Be large and fierce. For some reason we like dangerous animals, and are fascinated with their weapons, from teeth to horns. (Watch any kid in the dinosaur gallery.) Small thinks this may explain the fact that tigers are the kings of global conservation efforts;

• It must live above ground, preferably in a family setting showing off the mother with adorable cubs or kittens (one Toronto conservationist calls such animals “the cuddlies”);

• It should not smell bad;

• It helps to be warm-blooded;

• Bright colours also help while being covered with scales, or a slimy skin, is bad;

• Attractive animals eat “clean” food. We don’t like scavengers and carrion-pickers;

• Traits that are unhealthy in humans should be avoided. We have little urge to conserve animals with warts, bow legs, wrinkles (except for elephants), irregular teeth or a habit of drooling.

• Plants have attributes that attract humans, too — big flowers, fruit, huge size (trees), decorative foliage, and the ability to draw birds, butterflies, bees and squirrels.

Yet most animals are either too small for us to notice, and many are active at night. “Overwhelmingly, most creatures are never even seen by humans,” Small says. These are the losers in the conservation lottery.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology ... z1tiBK7cxJ

[Mountainheart]

Interesting. Fits in with our tendency to anthropomorphise *everything* we come into contact with. Sometimes it's very unhelpful. For example if you treat a dog as a mini-human you'll never get it trained properly. Personally I also think it is unhelpful to anthropomorphise our gods / goddesses, which many also have a strong tendency to do. Probably less so amongst druids.

[Kima]

So true! The problem is that species are disappearing way too fast to adapt and become super-kawai before it's too late...

The picture of the polar bear on a strand of ice works very well. It's really about what will look striking in the media.

[wyeuro]

well, i'm conscious of a lot of effective conservation of both plant and animal species here in oz which is being done by a quiet army of activists, and i catch glimpses of pretty much the same thing happening in other countries too. if you advertise in the wrong places you'll get the wrong responses. many mainstream families with general interests will respond with charity but not well-researched wisdom to anything cute, but for reptile, plant, insect or yet-another-sort-of-grey-brown-bird communities you should obviously recruit via their mass media, and on campuses, at confests, and around ecologically conscious people. the families configured for cuteness give money, the activists configured for ecological awareness work hands on and somehow the work gets done. all have good kind hearts and all are worthy of respect. but better yet i've also noticed that the mass media is beginning to educate the mainstream about this, and we're seeing a lot more insect life made appealing, lizards and snakes explained in comforting terms and people overcoming horror and fear of crocodiles and desert spiders. i send peace and blessings to them.