Rare Mustached Kingfisher Captured, Photographed and then KILLED!
Is it Ever Ethical to Murder an Animal for Scientific Research?
A scientist, Chris Filardi, Director of the Pacific Programs at the American Museum of Natural History captured an extremely rare, male, mustached kingfisher in Guandalcanal in the Solomon Islands, and took the first ever photographs of the Kingfisher and then “collected as a specimen for scientific study.” This is basically a fancy way of saying that he killed the bird for ‘research purposes’.
With only an estimated 1,000 of these beautiful kingfishers left in the world, all of whom live on the island of Guandalcanal, the fact that one of these birds was intentionally killed is devastating. Also the fact that this scientist says he is surveying endemic biodiversity and working with local partners to create a protected area!!!!
Far from realizing the error of his ways, scientist Filardi released a statement which was extremely telling about the culture of scientific research, which does not hold the value of life above the value of ‘scientific progress.’
This incident is part of a much wider issue – how can we justify the killing of innocent animals for scientific research?
The rare mustached kingfisher who was captured and killed so that he could be used for scientific research did not deserve to have his life ended so that humans could advance their knowledge and understanding of his species.
What is important is the right of every animal to be able to exist on this planet without the fear of being needlessly captured and killed by humans.
There is no way to justify the killing of innocent beings like this kingfisher, and we should be ashamed that our culture allows this kind of activity to go unpunished. How is it fair that some animals’ lives are valued and protected by law, while others are left vulnerable to those with other intentions?
"Killing 'in the name of conservation' or 'in the name of education' or 'in the name of whatever' simply needs to stop. It is wrong and sets a horrific precedent for future research and for children."
