To Save the Whales

By Luke Balsavich

Charles
Charles was so excited. He was about to embark on another great adventure. His father had been bringing him to Wisconsin every summer since he could remember, and he was at last going to return to what he knew to be “God’s Country.” His father had shared stories of his own childhood in the very same area, and Charles felt a sense of pride having the same summer haunts at the lakes, streams, and woods his father had enjoyed.

Like his father, Charles loved animals. His home in the suburbs sported little in the area of wildlife, though he did enjoy catching the crawdads in the drainage ditches near his elementary school, and the European Starlings that nested at the church pavilion. He most particularly loved reptiles and amphibians. He was mystified and awed by these resultants of natural selection (though he did not realize it at the time) and projected himself into these creatures, personifying them.

He loved nature, though he lacked understanding of the many processes involved and the existence of life outside humanity, occurring in the absence of understanding, ingenuity, or sentience.

Like all humans, Charles was a curious creature. And like so many others, he was completely captivated by the natural world. Charles' trip was wonderful as it had always been. He did not realize any of the significant differences to the area that had occurred since his father’s childhood.

His father, however, grieved a little more with every visit to his home state. His son would never walk in the field that he as a boy played in: the need for parking had again overcome the need for prairie. Charles would never hear a Northern Leopard Frog around the ponds in the countryside… they seemed to have disappeared completely from the area. These days, the sound of the road, lawn mowers, and air-conditioning units seemed to mute the birdsong in so many places he had once considered wild. He still took his boy out to the wildlife areas though, and this was the wilderness that Charles came to know and love.

Jennifer
Jennifer lived in Kansas, and had never seen the ocean.

Like Charles, she also had a particular love for nature. After a couple of book reports on marine life during second-grade English, her zeal led her to start a "save the whales" campaign, which she supplemented with a "save the manatees" campaign. She thought it was wrong to do nothing when creatures are threatened with extinction. However, she was utterly perplexed at what to do about saving these creatures.

One evening, young Jennifer asked her mother, “What can I do? It’s just me? Can one person make a difference?”

Her mother wiped the tears glistening on her cheek and replied, “It is simple. You alone can do nothing. You must appeal to others to achieve these goals.” Both of her parents were impressed with her affection, and encouraged her to collect funds to donate to conservation groups.

While Jennifer neither saved the whales nor manatees, she was able to raise some money to send to conservation groups and her efforts did make a difference. Most notable is that this attachment she formed to these marine mammals led her to pursue biology, and further her knowledge about the many threats facing our natural world.

What about us?
Her love of these creatures she hadn’t even seen is incredible, but not really surprising, is it? What caused her to have a passion for these creatures? And how can we so easily relate to her? Why do we, like Charles and Jennifer, feel compelled to know about nature, and most particularly, animals?

It seems that our interests in knowledge and understanding of function define us as humans. We seek rationality in everything, and attempt to discern meaning (even sometimes when there is none) in whatever we behold. We are keen observers of cause and effect, and derive pleasure through our apprehension. Other creatures without these characteristics present us with fascination. We see function but not understanding: elaborate systems in play with no tangible designer. We sometimes project agency where there is none. It has been suggested that these characteristics have provided humans with an evolutionary advantage: to seek agency in all situations could have provided early humans with necessary advantages to avoid formidable predators. By studying nature, we note that life is a constant struggle for all members. There is neither mercy nor hate nor love, where all is chance and whatever is best suited to it triumphs.

Charles, Jennifer, and a few billion other people attempt to connect with nature in one way or another. This seems to be true of people worldwide, although there are many different ways we do this. Whether it’s a camping trip to the boreal forest, a hiking trip in the redwoods, a float trip down the Illinois River, or going on a walkabout in Australia, people attempt to connect with nature. Our understanding of nature often dictates the level and kind of involvement.

Kids seem particularly prone to developing a zeal for nature, even if their parents do not show interest themselves. This suggests perhaps a genetic predisposition for such interest. A common picture at the zoo: 25 kids at the big cat exhibit completely captivated as a tiger paces lazily in its enclosure. The parents see the cat and are momentarily amazed, but the kids are floored. The entire group gasps as one as the big cat yawns, showing an array of huge white teeth. Most kids could spend all day at the zoo.

It is understandable to think that those early humans that developed a strong understanding of nature would flourish (so long as they did not try to pet a lion as a child). Someone with an interest and curiosity toward nature would be more likely to domesticate animals for human use, cultivate crops, and avoid predation than someone without an interest or curiosity. This is true on a societal level as well as on an individual level, and is true today. The more we know about snakes, for instance, the less people will succumb to snakebite. On a societal level, we have kept venomous animals, studied their toxins, and developed antivenins for many species. Because of these undertakings, the United States has an incredibly low mortality rate for venomous snakebite: approximately 8,000 people are bitten each year, and approximately 12 people die. The more we know, the better equipped we are to handle situations. It is that simple… Curiosity and interest in nature would undoubtedly lead to evolutionary advantage.

Understanding Environments
Most people would agree that the extinction of a species is a grievous, irreparable loss to the world. One could go so far to say that most people would consider knowingly facilitating such a situation to be utterly reprehensible, even criminal. Simply contemplating the disappearance of a species touches us in a very real way, and knowing that our actions can destroy other species is a major force in driving environmental movements.

It is easy to believe that in seeking to prevent the end of an entire species (projecting humanity on other life), we are in some way preserving ourselves. We have taken significant measures to protect many species, and it is often the interest in one species that creates protection for entire habitats (Endangered Species Act is a good example of this). We protect something we take interest in (in many cases a species), and the habitat is also protected.

A significant problem with implementing environmental conservation in this way is that the bullet has often left the barrel of the gun before we rally to take action. By the time we note a decline in species x (plant or animal), what else has happened? The same is also true of various systems humans have created. By the time you hear, for instance, piston noise emanating from the engine of your car, you are already in trouble (or your car is at least). The more ignorant of the system we are, the further the development of the problem before it is noted and addressed. Some people do not understand the importance of changing the oil on the vehicle. Through neglect with something so simple, the timing chains, gears, and pistons can prematurely wear, eventually causing engine failure. The more you learn about a car, the better you are able to diagnose issues before you are stuck on the side of the road. Still, some things happen without warning, and when they do, parts need to be replaced or repaired. Nearly everyone who drives cars has been, at one time or another, on the side of the road waiting for a tow. Unfortunately, we understand nature less than we understand cars, and nature does not have replacement parts…

It is common knowledge in the area of ecology that some species are more susceptible to environmental degradation than others. Problems manifesting in these species often reflect serious environmental issues in their respective biological communities. When we see problems with these indicator species, the bullet may not yet have left the barrel. As we see these problems, it is imperative that we react if we are to hope for success in environmental preservation. Even then, there is still a good chance damage will be irreparable.

Amphibians are long known to represent the health of their habitats due to their sensitivity to change. They are generally unique in that their life cycle requires aquatic, terrestrial, and often arboreal lifestyles. Their skin is permeable and allows easy passage of many pathogens, and many species are extremely susceptible to pollutants. Many species are poor dispersers, very limited in movement by geographical constraints. It should then be very worrisome to know that roughly 160 species are believed to have gone extinct in the past two decades, with hundreds more under serious threat of extinction. Their disappearances mark not only a substantial loss of biodiversity in our natural systems, but also are a sign that their biological communities are changing and a manifestation of our ineptness in the area of conservation.

Since it is already evident that people have an innate curiosity and interest toward nature, I think it important to steer that interest toward these indicator species, whose preservation will likely aid in the preservation of so many others. Amphibians seem a good choice for such a movement, since they occur throughout most of the world and their disappearances are so conspicuous. By cultivating interest in these creatures, we might lead ourselves to better environmental conservation practices. Who knows…getting kids interested in frogs just might be what we need to save the whales.

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While Charles and Jennifer are fictitious characters, their stories are not unique. My intention in using them is to present backgrounds that most readers could relate to. I am providing a list of references for the reader’s convenience with information about and opportunities for involvement relating to amphibians. Thanks for reading.

Amphibian Resources:
treewalkers.org
amphibianark.org
amphibiancare.com

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Luke Balsavich has had an interest in herpetology since childhood. He lives in Madison, Wis. with his wife Jamie, two dogs, and some 70 or so frogs, lizards, and snakes. Any questions regarding this article or frogs in general can be addressed to lrbalsavich [at] gmail [dot] com.