Editor’s Note

Fill in the blank:
One key word that should always send up a red flag to all of us who care about animals is
“_______________”. . . . When I hear that word, I know for sure that there is some sort of
hunting, fishing, trapping, etc., involved . . .1
The correct answer is “conservation”. Conservationists, in their efforts to save the world’s
species, sometimes, need to capture, translocate, cage, injure and even kill individual
animals. Not surprisingly, these actions raise the hackles of animal rights and welfare
groups - such as People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), from whose website1
the above lines were taken – whose aim is to protect the rights of every single individual
animal. The articles in this edition of CC all deal with the thorny issue of animal rights in
conservation: should we eradicate invasive animals from islands? How should we deal
with stray dogs that attack wildlife in the Trans- Himalayas? Or feral horses that destroy
natural vegetation in Australia? Do zoo animals have a role in conservation?
We are also happy to announce the launch of a Current Conservation children’s section,
from this edition onwards.

More about this from our editors Matt, Ankila and Kalyani:

If you’re 10 years old, plus or minus a few
And you enjoy the outdoors, plants, animals and birds
Then starting this summer we have something new
Current Conservation Kids, just for you!
There’s a project to join, and stories to read,
Fun facts about nature for you and your friends,
There’s the bull and the bear and the bumbley bee
And you must meet, George, who works in a tree!
We hope you’ll enjoy this, we’d love to know.
Tell us your thoughts, send us ideas you have.
Round up your classmates and start a pen pal group,
Or send questions for George if you want to know more!