1. ...i have, w/in the last 15 min, submitted a reply to the e-mails i received since my prior listserv post... 2. ...accuracy of each of your statements and mainstream consensus for each are easily determined... 3. ...as i think i stated in an earlier post, i did, indeed, use "bushmeat" broadly and, as you point out, in a manner that is, technically inaccurate [although, the term is used by researchers on all continents, not simply, those in Africa]... 4. ...the journal, *Conservation Biology*, would be an excellent and reliable venue for "Quick & Dirty" searches of all of your statements and, others', also...
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1523-1739 On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 10:11 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > ---- "Clara B. Jones" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Ecolog-l-ers: > > 1. ...a few individuals have contacted me with concerns about the ethics > of > > my post requesting "bushmeat"... > > 2. ...i was not concerned about the ethical dimension for several > > reasons...perhaps, the most important is that it didn't seem likely at > all > > that anyone here or there, so to speak, would go to much trouble or > expense > > to answer my "call"... > > You simply asked for samples, it seemed evident that you hoped to receive > them. > > > 3. ...also, most anybody reading our listserv's posts would be operating > > from a platform of professional ethics*..... > > 4. ...further, i was using no monetary incentive to induce respondents to > > reply to my query, a topic of concern to many professional > organizations... > > Ethical concerns can involve other than money. > > > 5. ...i was using "bushmeat" broadly...and, though, i would not be averse > > to receiving samples from outside the US...i was thinking not only of > > domestic folivore or folivorous taxa that i've not sampled [tasted] such > > as, opposum, but, also, was thinking of tissues from zoo animals, > > post-preparation museum specimens, tissues culled at animal "farms", and, > > the like... > > Regardless of your answer to me in private, it is simply the case that the > term "bushmeat" or "bush meat" is not applied to game in the U.S. People > speak of game. We do not call the habitats occupied by wild animals here > "bush," and wild game long ago ceased to be a commercial product here. > Whenever one hears or sees the term, one is definitely not taken to the > high plains of Colorado or the mountains of Wyoming. It is Africa that one > thinks of. > > You certainly did not mention in your appeal that you were asking for > samples from animals sacrificed for other purposes. You simply asked for > "bush meat." I have never heard of a specimen sacrificed for science > referred to as "bush meat." > > You have referred to the o'possum repeatedly as a folivore. The only U.S. > o'possum is the Virginia O'possum, _Didelphis virginiana_,. It is an > omnivore that feeds on a wide variety of small animals, carrion, fruits. > Perhaps it does eat leaves, but the things I mentioned are its mainstays. > It's dental apparatus is not well suited to a diet of leaves. And I > assure you that despite your earlier statement that it is not a preferred > food of those who eat wild animals, many a person in the southern U.S. has > eaten many a "possum." > > > 6. ...my opportunistic project aside, i've studied the topic of > "defensive > > mimicry" in mammals, and it has occurred to me that organisms may > advertise > > unpalatability via several modalities, not only olfactory, visual, & > > auditory [most common in mammals]... > > 7. ...John Garcia's work showed that rodents, anyway, may base future > food > > selection and foraging decisions on taste of a food product > > 8. ...there are many questions that pertain that, in my opinion, would > > justify rigorous treatment.. > > 9. ...the area of Conservation Biology is highly charged emotionally, > > possibly, preventing us from addressing the topic of when and under what > > circumstances we support the conduct of invasive experimentation with > > animals in natural conditions...whatever their Red Book status may > > be...and, related to this, whether we have an ethical right or > > responsibility to prevent others from doing so [within legal bounds]... > > 10. ...it remains to be seen whether there will be sufficient interest to > > continue these conversations... > > 11. ...i appreciate all communication received to date...sincerely, clara > > > > > > *...leading one to trust that the respondent would behave professionally > as > > we all do when we, for example, share a pre-print w a colleague, > requesting > > that it not be quoted... > > > > > > -- > > Clara > > Director > > Mammals and Phenogroups (MaPs) > > Blog: http://vertebratesocialbehavior.blogspot.com > > Twitter: http://twitter.com/cbjones1943 > > Cell: -828-279-4429 > > Brief CV: > > > http://vertebratesocialbehavior.blogspot.com/2012/10/clara-b-jones-brief-cv.html > > > > > > "Where no estimate of error of any kind can be made, generalizations > about > > populations from sample data are worthless." Ferguson, 1959 > > -- > David McNeely > -- Clara B. Jones Director Mammals and Phenogroups (MaPs) Blog: http://vertebratesocialbehavior.blogspot.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/cbjones1943 Cell: -828-279-4429 Brief CV: http://vertebratesocialbehavior.blogspot.com/2012/10/clara-b-jones-brief-cv.html "Where no estimate of error of any kind can be made, generalizations about populations from sample data are worthless." Ferguson, 1959
