thousandwhalesarestillbeingkilledbyhumanhunterseach
year, not to mention the estimated 125,000 dolphins who
drown annually in the nets of the tuna industry.^16
Nevertheless,itwouldbeacallouspersonwhocouldassert
that the rescue was a bad thing.
Soitisconceivablethathumaninterferencewillimprovethe
conditions ofanimals, and sobe justifiable. But when we
consideraschemeliketheeliminationofcarnivorousspecies,
weareconsideringan entirelydifferentmatter.Judging by
ourpastrecord,anyattempttochangeecologicalsystemson
alargescaleisgoingtodofarmoreharmthangood.Forthat
reason,iffornoother,itistruetosaythat,exceptinafew
verylimitedcases,wecannotandshouldnottrytopoliceall
ofnature.Wedoenoughifweeliminateourownunnecessary
killing and cruelty toward other animals.^17
Yet another purported justification of our treatment of
animals relies on the fact that in their natural state some
animals kill other animals. People often say that, bad as
modern farm conditions are, they are no worse than
conditionsin thewild,where animals areexposedto cold,
hunger,andpredators;andtheimplicationisthatthereforewe
should not object to modern farm conditions.
Interestingly,defendersofslaveryimposedonblackAfricans
often made a similar point. One of them wrote:
Onthewhole,sinceitisevidentbeyondallcontroversythat
the removal of the Africans, from the state of brutality,
wretchedness and misery, in which they are at home so
deeplyinvolved,tothislandoflight,humanityandChristian
knowledge,istothemsogreatablessing;howeverfaultyany