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Question Of The Day

Are There Any Animals You Wouldn't Care About Being Extinct?

"Cats – they're too small."

Photo by chris.corwin

Are you a prick? A malicious harbinger of everything that is evil and disgusting about the world? Then you probably don't agree with the fact that we should be making a more concerted effort to keep endangered animals from completely disappearing off the face of the earth. Like the African forest elephant, for example, who recent studies show is at risk of extinction within the next decade as a result of all of the poachers killing them for the ivory in their tusks. Imagine Africa without forest elephants – it'd be like Pizza Hut without the cramp and guilt; not OK.

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But what about all those animals who aren't elephants? The ones who've never starred in Disney films or had idioms based on their existence? The ugly ones who no one gives a fuck about? London, are there any animals that you wouldn't care about being extinct?

Georgia, pastry chef: No! I love all animals, I wouldn't want any of them to be extinct.

VICE: Aren't there any that really annoy you?
Possums are pretty annoying, I guess. I'm from New Zealand and they were brought over there from Australia – they're not supposed to be there. That's all I can think of. God, I feel like such a bad person answering this.

You shouldn't – possums are racist. Is there an animal you most want to save from extinction?
Great white sharks. They're almost extinct right now, aren't they? They need protecting. I love sharks; they're so cool.

Would you keep one in your home?
I would. I'd get a tank and just have it there, even if it took up too much space. I'd name it Finley.

That's cute.

Stacy, complaints officer: I don't want any animal to go extinct, but if I had to pick it would probably be some kind of insect. Wasps, maybe – nobody likes wasps; they sting you.

True. What about an animal that you most want to save from extinction?
Pygmy sloths. They're very cute you should Google them. They're tiny, tiny, tiny and they sleep all day – they're adorable.

Amy (left) and Louise, students.

Amy: I would mind if any animal became extinct – I don't want that to happen to any of them!
Louise: Worms. I don't like worms.

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What have worms ever done to you?
They're just really gross.
Amy: Actually; snakes. I hate snakes because they're evil. Like in Adam and Eve.

Do you think humans interfere with animals too much?
Yes, definitely. We're cutting down their homes and changing their habitats.
Louise: Yeah, I agree. We're animals ourselves and, if there was an animal bigger than us that farmed us, I don't think we'd be too happy about it.

You're spot on there, mate.

Leroy, construction worker: A dinosaur? Oh no, they're gone already. Um… oh, rats. I don't like rats at all. They're just disease, aren't they? They don't bring anything good to the world.

Have you ever had a bad experience with an animal?
Not really, no. I don't like rats, and cats are annoying when I'm trying to sleep because I can hear them breathing and they keep me awake. I can't sleep normally when there are cats around.

What animal would you want to save from extinction?
A lion, because he's proud and confident. They're good.

Agreed.

Krenar, chef: A cat, probably – they're too small and I don't like small animals. I wouldn't mind getting rid of dogs, either, because they're too hairy and messy.

You'd choose dogs out of all the animals in the world? Come on, man. Have you ever had one?
I didn't have many pets when I was little, but my parents had cats for a bit. They were OK; they didn't make too much of a mess. If you leave a dog in the house, it would just mess everything up.

Do you think humans interfere with animals too much?
No, it's good to look after animals. Sometimes they look after us, too.

That's surprisingly sweet from the culler of dogs. Do you think we should be doing more to help animals close to extinction?
Definitely. Most of them don't harm humans, but some wild ones do. We need to look after them. They're a part of our world. We should keep people away from the wild ones because they're dangerous. They should have their own space wherever they are – in Africa, or somewhere. But we definitely shouldn't kill them.

Good advice.

Previously - What's the Worst Thing You've Ever Lost?