Life in the wild

Papers

1. Read paper instructions!
2. Follow your plan (other papers not accepted)
3. Give paper required structure (other papers not accepted)
4. Follow the quotation rules for the paper 
5. Make sure you adhere to the honor code 
6. We will discuss more on Monday

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Two views of assisting wild animals

Laissez faire (let them be) view

1. Should leave animal habitats alone
2. C and D are different
3. 
   D cases: assistance not required, not wrong
4. Should be one-off, not large-scale
5. Reasons
• D&K - wild animal sovereignty, "wild animals are competent to address the challenges they face" (D&K p. 10)
• Palmer -- context, history, relationships make C and D cases different

Interventionist view

1. Should assist where possible and effective
2. C and D not importantly different
3. D cases: assistance can be required
4. Assistance may be large-scale
5. Reasons
• Singer's ethics (but he doesn't apply much to wildlife issues)
• equal consideration of interests, utilitarianism
• other reasons, perspectives: rights, justice 

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Kyle Johansson, "Humanitarian Assistance for Wild Animals"

STEP 1 Wild animal suffering is a huge problem

STEP 2 What we should do to reduce wild animal suffering

A new movement in animal ethics - interventionist

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STEP 1 Wild animal suffering is a huge problem

• "the amountt of suffering in nature probably exceeds the amount of pleasure in it" (Johansson p. 14)
• 
  "Most individual wild animals live bad lives" (Johansson p. 14)

Evolution selects for attributes that spread genes, not attributes that increase wellbeing.

1. Peacock's tail
2. Male birdsong

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Why so much wild animal suffering?

Reproductive strategies

1. r-strategists--huge number of offspring, little investment, most die young
2. K-strategists -- smaller number of offspring, large investment, more survive

r-strategists

1. Mammals
2. huge numbers killed by predators

K-strategists have problems too (most offspring die)

• humans -- 2 per couple, one per partner -- replacement rate
• eaglets -- each female lays 2-3 eggs per year for 20 years
• leopard cubs--each female leopard has 2-3 cubs every 15 mo-2 years, over 10 years.  
• puffins--each female puffin has one chick every year over 30 years

Predation

1. 2/3 of wild animals eat other animals
2. Prey die miserable deaths

Drought, famine, disease

OTHER: Competition within species

1. Male lions, cheetahs, leopards kill cubs
2. Wolf packs--fighting for dominance, only alpha male and female mate
3. Ungulates (antelopes, caribou, etc.) fighting 
4. Seals, baboons

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Do most animals have bad lives?

1. animal suffering
2. animal pleasure--when do you think wild animals are enjoying their lives?

 

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STEP 2--What should we do to reduce wild animal suffering?

Some possibilities

1. Vaccinate wild animals against disease (already being done)
2. Change r-strategists into k-strategists
3. Turn carnivores into herbivores
4. Reduce capacity for suffering

How? 

• Genetic engineering techniques that alter all descendants
• How? gene drives 

Will the harms outweigh the benefits?

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Next time

1. Choice of readings: chapter from Johansson's book OR an interview with Johansson
2. We will also discuss what Singer says about wild animal suffering (ALN p. 255-259)...optional