Is the death of one species less tragic than another?

Question

I mean why some people feel sorry for the death of rabbits, dogs, cats etc.
they are simple animals that dont contribute to the bio-diversity that much

unlike complex organisms that have camouflage, agility and other impressive defense mechanisms...and there are those that share symbiotic relationships

Answer 1

Well I think that the death of a domestic animal has absolutely no ecological impact what so ever. So cats and dogs can die all they want with no adverse effects, they are mutants and are no longer part of any natural food chains.

I think in the case of mammals and birds that provide parental care, if the mother, or responsible parent were to die, then so would the offspring, this would be more tragic than if the runt of the litter died.

The problem is that people have a bias in the wild kingdom, if it is cute, then they dont want it to die.....like if a baby panda born with birth defects dies, it makes headlines...it was emant to happen, but thank goodness the parents lived so that they can make more...thats a little more important.

Animals at different levels in the food chain have less tragic deaths mostly because it is expected. If a mouse dies, well no loss, thats because the species in general is meant to die, they are simply food for other animals...if the fox that feeds on the mouse dies, then its worse, simply becasue the time it will take to replace that fox in the environment is much longer and requires much more energy that the mouse would.

Wow some of the other answers are just terrible, insects, pests parasites all have their natural roles on this planet, they all have a function and if they werent here, you probably wouldn't be either...

Answer 2

Yes, especially if it is the death of a sensitive, threatened or endangered species. The death of 1 cat or 1 dog will do nothing to the future generations, but the death of 1 African Elephant may cause the entire species to decline due to the loss of that elephants genes. Also, the death of predators (such as lion, bears, wolves, etc.) compared to the death of herbivores (deer, rabbits, etc.) is far more detrimental to the ecosystem as populations size of predators is far less than herbivore populations. If the predators numbers are low, the herbivore populations will go up and can get out of control, which can result in plauges of certain species.

Answer 3

Well if you want to put things backwards what if we are actually the lessors because we have to use tech to survive instead of accepting our fate like the more simple minded creatures. Do they know the real way to survive. because we kill out other species they haven't eaten each other out of existence because how often do you hear "wales eat all the fish so that's why the seas are becoming empty."

Answer 4

No All things are Gods creations. Only man was given a soul. many people feel sad at the death of something warm and furry.but few grieve over the death of a flea or a snake or a fish, but they are all here for a reason.

Answer 5

specific, that piece of sh*t would desire to've been thrown in penal complex and function each and every of the soreness he brought about that canine decrease back to him double. yet to respond to your question, it relatively is a human instinct or an instinct of the different animal rather, to seem out to your person species properly-being before that of a various animal.

Answer 6

Yes it is...some species are in the end-effect giving more than others.You said it ,some feeling sorry for the dogs but some for the snakes it depends what you like more.
But we should make atention to the animals that are more importan for us then the other

Answer 7

I feel sorry for animals who die because of cruel circumstances like if humans beat them or treat them badly. I feel bad when I see a dead animal on the side of the road, killed by a passing car. I do NOT feel bad for the ants I killed in my kitchen yesterday--they are just pests and there are plenty more where those came from. I also do NOT feel bad for mosquitos. Bugs in general--there are so many of them and they reproduce at lighnting speed so if you kill one, 100 more are being born at that same moment.

Answer 8

All creatures are products of natural selection. Theoretically all are important, but some are pests, disease-carriers, noxious, and so on.Their elimination will not be as significant as others that add to benefit of biodiversity and are useful.

Answer 9

I think you are too naive

This is the world where death of humans of different races are treated differently. Is it not naive to talk about the death of different species?

Answer 10

Absolutely yes...
Some species are insignificant compared to others...