Question

Can you think of a situation where we deliberately want to make a species extinct? How would you justify it?

Answer 1

When alien species are introduced unintentionally or deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive, and cause decline or extinction of indigenous species. Invasive weed species like carrot grass, lantana and hyacinth (Eicchornia) have become a threat to the environment and other native species. Similarly, the recent illegal introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus for aquaculture purposes is threatening the indigenous catfishes in our rivers. We have to deliberately extinct these harmful species. Similarly, we want to make the world polio-free by making many viruses like the polio virus extinct.

Answer 2

Yes, there are various kinds of parasites and disease-causing microbes that we deliberately want to eradicate from the Earth. Since these micro-organisms are harmful to human beings, scientists are working hard to fight against them. Scientists have been able to eliminate small pox virus from the world through the use of vaccinations. This shows that humans deliberately want to make these species extinct. Several other eradication programmes, such as polio and Hepatitis B vaccinations, are aimed to eliminate these disease-causing microbes.