Releases

[Nigel Venters]

Neil Jones wrote about speaking up for the butterflies, when he condemned
the “Butterflies as baubles” business. Well as Neil is the Ayatollah of the
butterfly world, like most Ayatollahs they rely on fear to make the people
accept what they believe in. Unfortunately (Or fortunately?) he has no hold
over the rest of the world’s population, and as such can not force them
though pain of death to love butterflies! Now I don’t care about whether the
rest of the world see butterflies as baubles or not…. I try to live in the
real world and I just want the general population to love butterflies and be
aware of them. I know the majority of the population in all countries are
NEVER going to be interested in the plight of endangered species or habitat
destruction…so I need them to love butterflies come what may! All I see
Butterfly releases doing is to increase awareness of these wonderful
creatures.

Let’s take a look at Neil’s concerns:
1. “ Firstly are these butterflies the healthiest?” Well in Neil’s mail we
have a wonderful array of comparing human disease and butterflies. How about
stopping to think about the ratios involved? In the wild, disease is the
least likely reason for death and predators are the most likely. (The
opposite in reared stock!) So survival of the fittest here is a
super-caterpillar that can take on a bird and beat it? Or how about a
lizard? Predation in insects is mainly random choice. (Sorry but I went to
sleep reading the next lot of Neil's gobble-de gook! So I resurface at
Bombyx mori)…. I was not aware that the Chinese either went to great trouble
to eliminate wild stock…. Or deliberately released their captive stock to
swamp the wild stock! My God I thought they were in business! Can you
imagine how many they must have released to eliminate the wild stock! Pest
controllers all contact the Chinese as they have achieved what very few
others have ever managed!
2. Second point about release not adding to the population….Well spotted…. I
agree with you, I don’t think for one minute that numbers can be increased
unless habitat supports it! So what? The aim is public education!
3. Good point about the Palosverdes Blue (Latin name?) Maybe better to have
used the Xerces blue (Glaucopsyche xerces) to stress your point, this is
species which didn’t make it! And became extinct!
4. I can’t see the butterfly releasers bullying respected scientists like
Professor Lincoln Brower! All they seem to be asking for is some ACTUAL
evidence that releases do damage, which seems a little thin on the ground? I
think that releases do more good than harm by making people more aware of
butterflies, in a society where an Ayatollah can’t make them do so on pain
of death!
5. You state “To get people to conserve nature it is necessary to make them
understand the scientifically validated truth that nature is a complex and
fragile system. What you going to do execute them if they don’t?