It's just one type of snail, there are others...
It's just one type of coral, there are others...
It's just one type of pigeon, there are others...
It's just one type of rhino, there are others...
It's just one type of zebra, there are others...
And on, and on, and on. This is on us. But our conservative brethren won't care...because it's just 'animals'...and there is always more of those. And didn't god put all them animals here for man to use as he sees fit? I know it's true because it's all in black and white in the good book.
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My condolences to George’s caretakers.
3
"The Four Friends" - by A.A. Milne
Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow,
Leonard was a lion with a six foot tail,
George was a goat, and his beard was yellow,
And James was a very small snail.
Leonard had a stall, and a great big strong one,
Earnest had a manger, and its walls were thick,
George found a pen, but I think it was the wrong one,
And James sat down on a brick
Earnest started trumpeting, and cracked his manger,
Leonard started roaring, and shivered his stall,
James gave a huffle of a snail in danger
And nobody heard him at all.
Earnest started trumpeting and raised such a rumpus,
Leonard started roaring and trying to kick,
James went on a journey with the goats new compass
And he reached the end of his brick.
Ernest was an elephant and very well intentioned,
Leonard was a lion with a brave new tail,
George was a goat, as I think I have mentioned,
but James was only a snail.
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A naturalist friend spends much of his time trying to save the last known population of Magnificent Ramshorn snails that are natives of the US East coast. Just like George, these snails are teetering on the brink of extinction. Tending to the last remaining members of a species is an awesome responsibility.
We are entering what E. O. Wilson calls the Ermocene - The Age of Loneliness. We and the rest of humankind must stop, listen, and begin to pay attention to the ever-growing silence in nature. If we do not do so very soon we may find ourselves alone, bearing the responsibility for the terrible silence that will surround us.
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For some reason this loss makes me profoundly sad. The essence of our planet is slowly changing for the worse.
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I feel guilty for contributing to species extinction. Land development, resource overuse, over fishing, consumerism, products designed to be soon obsolete, over population, fossil fuel use. We are all complicit, some more than others.
13
I read these stories and feel ever more numb. Each extinction saddens me yet I've reached the point where I don't feel anything more. I believe humans will bring death to every other species before eventually wiping ourselves out.
15
No matter how small in size, they are never insignificant. This makes me sad, as does the pending demise of the Monarch butterfly, and so many more. I see humans take more and more of the land, fill more and more of the vernal pools, the swamps, the lands that once teemed with life. To me, and those who share the feeling, this all is making life miserable, even if our individual lives feel alright. The misery is in the background, but it's not going to stay back there forever.
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The demise of poor George the snail. Sad. Now, bring on the garlic butter ...
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@Midenós Exairoúmenou I hope you like eating garlic butter without the snails.
5
Why no snail meat?
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
The death of George, the last known snail of his kind, resonates with my musings this morning in San Jose. A species of snails has died out. Species of amphibians are dying out. Species of insects are dying out. Species of various types are dying out. Life is interconnected. Someday it will be homo sapiens turn to die out when the food chain "below" has disappeared.
RIP little George the Snail.
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Stories like this bring Evolution into focus.
2
All sentient beings are given life,
even fleas and lice,
and life is equally dear to each.
- Issa
9
It become overwhelming if you read these stories day after day. This chipping away at the ecosystem and the struggle by a handful of researchers scattered around in their institutions who like the rest of us are wholly on the wrong side of the economics that is driving these extinctions.
13
There's a popular myth that mankind started with a rib.
Seems fitting that an entire species might be saved by a foot.
8
This is profoundly sad. It's also very sad that there is only one other comment posted here. The NY Times should publish more articles that draw attention to some of the other species that go extinct each day. Because of our activities, we are experiencing the worst mass extinction of plants and animals since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Why is this not getting more attention?
29
my first reaction to headline was to find it slightly funny, but it's not -- but that shows how "cuddliness" can be a bias. is there a children's book on a snail?
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@Penn Towers
I immediately recalled, sadly, A.A. Milne's poem, 'The Four Friends':
Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow,
Leonard was a lion with a six-foot tail,
George was a goat and his beard was yellow,
While James was a very small snail.
It's a delightful poem (as Milne's were) ending as 'James reached the end of his brick.'
It seems the snail, George of this article, also reached the end of his brick. I am sad today.
1
I tell my four year old stories about a snail that bears his name. I make the stories up as I tell them, every night. Why a snail? Why not. They are awesome. I am considering writing my stories up and seeing if they could be a book.
2
Not a children's book, but I highly recommend The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating.
2
I have to politicize this !
When will we understand that the disappearance of George is just another warning to all of us on Earth that we will one day be gone if we continue with our wrecking ball politics.
America has chosen to be governed by a bunch of science denying ignoramuses and a Thug.
This is not without grave consequences for all living being’s survival on our beautiful pale blue dot, Earth.
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I realize you cant help yourself, but just to keep things in perspective the article says the other 20 were believed to be killed by a pathogen. that would be unrelated to climate change. the article goes on to say this: "The land snails have been affected most by invasive predators like rats and the rosy wolfsnail, which eats other snails." just want to keep the facts of the article in the forefront, ahead of the political agenda.
1
@bored critic How did the rats, the pathogens, and the invasive species get there? On the backs of human endeavors over the centuries. There are no stand alone events on this planet. Everything is connected and at some point, these events connect with our lives. So whether its politics, greed, climate change, 18th century explorers, you name it, events like George's passing are a reflection of the interconnection of all life on Earth.
12
George left his colourful shell as a gift for his caregiver of his lonely life.Long live George.
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