Extinction Stinks

So I missed last week’s episode of Battlestar Galactica. I called my friend and asked if he had taped it. “Taped it?” he laughed. “What is this? 1994?” So I called another friend. Again: “Taped? What does that even mean?” A third: “I didn’t tape it, but I can scratch it out on a stone tablet for you, Grandpa.”

I now realize that I have an endangered species attached to my entertainment center. The VHS VCR, once the undisputed king of video recording, is now, for all intents and purposes, extinct in the wild. There are some who would say, “Good riddance. My hard-drive-based DVR is better than your dumb half-inch magnetic tape with built-in anti-despooling mechanism ever was.” And they may be right. But what these cavalier technophiles don’t seem to realize is that once these last living specimens burn out, the VCR will never come back. Extinction is forever.

That’s why I went to the boss here at Tee Hugger and pitched a shirt that says “Extinction is Forever” with a big picture of a VHS recorder. He liked the idea, but thought it might be more effective if the VCR was replaced with a panda. (http://www.teehugger.com/product_p/thjs1001.htm) Apparently more people identify with the plight of the panda than that of the VCR because pandas are “more lovable” and “actual living creatures” and saving them is “important” and “not just some dumb Luddite’s crusade.”

Well, I guess he does have a valid point.

1. The most important thing we can do to help save endangered animals is to protect their natural habitats. According to the Humane Society, “Human population growth and the consumption of open space and resources destroy habitat required by wildlife for survival. Human development can disturb whole ecosystems, often irreparably.” They suggest urging your local government officials to establish “Wildlife Corridors” to connect the increasingly segmented areas of wild habitat so that animals may be exposed to a larger range of genetic diversity, which keeps their populations healthy. (http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/habitat_loss_and_fragmentation/)

2. Support conservation organizations that focus on wildlife. Of course, the first one that pops into mind is the World Wildlife Fund, because of their logo depicting a lovable VCR. Er, panda. You can support the WWF with your dollars, but you can also support them with your attention and your curmudgeonly propensity for letter writing. If you join the WWF’s free Conservation Action Network email list, they’ll “send you email action alerts on breaking issues and let you send free personalized messages to policy makers. You can track which actions you've taken and learn about your victories.” (http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/PageServer?pagename=can_signup)

3. It would be great if saving an endangered animal was as easy as recycling a soda can, but sadly, it’s not. It takes a lot of people working together to make a difference. If you can’t support a conservation organization with your money, maybe you’d be more interested in supporting them with your own blood, sweat, and tears. Conservation International points out that “getting one's hands dirty is more than just occasional fun, it can be a life calling for many people who hate indoor desk work.” If you want to find out how to get out of your cubicle and get your own hands dirty, check out their career idea page here: http://www.conservation.org/act/ideas/Pages/ideas.aspx

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go down to the video store and rent a tape of Kung-Fu Panda: proof that VCRs and pandas can live in harmony.