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| Dino-vandals ruin fossil find |
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by Anne Kimbol
DINOSAURS MAY have been extinct for millions of years, but they still need protection. Animal rights groups the world over speak out against poachers and seek government support to save the animals. To date no such group exists to help the dinosaurs, but if one does not start soon it will be too late. A Sept. 17 article in the New York Times brought to my attention the latest in a string of dino-vandalisms. According to the article, a family in Montana gave permission to a paleontologist from the University of Notre Dame to search for dinosaurs on the land. He brought in volunteers from Earthwatch, a non-profit group, and began searching. They found a large collection of bones and decided to excavate fully the next year. Then, a bit later, a member of the family who gave this very project the go-ahead was seen with a backhoe digging by the site. The family claims that they need the money which selling the fossils can bring. Sounds awful, right? How bizarre this all seems. Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Another dinosaur fossil which has been surrounded by controversy over ownership is soon to go to auction at Sotheby's, the famous New York City auction house. Less than one year ago, dinosaur footprint fossils outside of Broome, Australia, were stolen. Officials said it looked like someone went in with a jackhammer and walked off with the fossils. Something must be done to stop this problem. Dinosaur fossils must not be stolen, sold on the black market or vandalized. They are not just pretty knickknacks for the rich to buy and the poor to sell as they see fit. They are historically and scientifically significant artifacts which belong in a museum or research facility. Dinosaurs need our help. Their extinction makes this more important. If the poaching, legal questioning of ownership and free-market selling of dinosaur fossil does not end, an irreplaceable clue to the Earth's past will disappear forever. It will also provide more evidence of just how short-sighted, greedy and detestable human beings can be. Greed, however, is stronger than curiosity or decency in most circles. People will continue to do whatever they can to make money. The future consequences of their actions are secondary to the size of their bank accounts. As a liberal pacifist I feel guilty saying this, but some dreadfully awful punishment must be agreed on world-wide to tip the balance to the other side. That way, even if buyers and sellers do not change their ways, at least the "eye for an eye" part of each of us will get to watch the criminals suffer while performing the most humiliating and distasteful community service job the United Nations can find.
This item appeared in the Opinion section of the September 26, 1997 issue. |
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