Although we have moved the contentious debate to GD, I believe answering this here is appropriate.
Although on preview I see that Zabali has already answered.
But the question, the one that never seems to occur to those who repeat mindless platitudes about how the earth achieves environmental equilibrium on its own and that extinction is just part of the great circle of life, is:
Where is the documented evidence that the environment we are changing so rapidly and the biomes that we are upending will reach any sort of equilibrium that can sustain us?
Each extinction of any species must raise the question in our heads, “How will the gap left by this species’ absence be filled, and what will be the effect of the change on us?” If we do not know enough to answer the question, we have not earned our indifference.
True we we must thank previous mass extinctions for our existence. But this mass extinction is largely our own doing, which means we ought to be able to curb it or at least some of it, lest some future sentient species thank us for our idiotic self-sacrifice.
My question is: how will you feel when the last gorilla in the wild dies? Or the last elephant? It could happen in our lifetimes, I think.
To try to counteract the doom and gloom: World’s tallest man uses his long arms to save two dolphins. You couldn’t make it up!
That’s certainly a novel approach – but it worked, so good on them and Mr. Bao for saving the day!
7’8" … that is one towering hombre. His arm is more than half my height!
I agree with Bricker that perhaps it’s really not that big of a deal in its objective impact on existance. Life goes on, and will continue to thrive in myriad and various forms for many many many years to come.
However, the issue, IMO, is that as a species like this becomes extinct, the world now becomes less fascinating. I don’t have a vested interest in the dolphins remaining alive, other than I enjoy living in a world that is also inhabited by other creatures that look, live, and do things quite differently than I do.
I like that I could go to the savannah and see huge land mammals. If the elephants died off, my life would be exactly the same, except that the spark of wonder and fascination I get when I think of elephants would have died off too.
I am uncomfortable at the prospect of letting challenges go answered here; I am also uncomfortable at the prospect of continuing to “hijack” this thread and deny the participants here their chance to mourn – which is why I created the GD thread. I invite scotandrsn, blondebear, and any others interested to raise their points there.
I think because this thread and the one in GD are about two separate issues.
Bricker, I would have enjoyed being involved in the other thread in GD if the actual topic had stayed more in line with the discussion here that you actually started because it is interesting.
The posts here seemed to be about whether or not it matters if a species becomes extinct and does it have an impact on the environment. You posted something I found interesting (post 5) when you asked if it was any more important if this particular species became extinct over one a few million years ago.
I’m not criticizing you. I realize you started the topic in GD so as not to derail this thread and because people asked you to. I might be a little dense, but I just don’t understand your OP. Except for one post, the posts weren’t about humans vs dolphins and I found it a little confusing, that’s all.
Maybe people are more upset because dolphins have more human traits than trilobytes or whatever. They’re smart, they have nice smiles, they seem to have fun. Maybe people see humans’ extinction foreshadowed in the dolphins’.
There’s no question that people are more sympathetic to some species for a lot of reasons.
The difference between something like a trilobyte and current extintion of marine species is that so many countries especially developing countries depend on fish as a food supply. We really have no idea yet of what the environmental impact will be with the loss of a 200 million year old mammal in the food chain.
We’re wiping out vast species of fish that aren’t being used to feed people but by allowing overfishing and lack of regulations.
Here’s a great quote-
"We like to think of the oceans as so vast and ancient as to be above greed or vanity. Byron wrote, “Man marks the earth with ruin–his control stops with the shore.” But we now have the technological capacity to do to fish exactly what we did to the buffalo and the passenger pigeon.
We are reducing the oceans’ productivity. We risk hunger, poverty, dislocation, and war. We destroy links to our evolutionary past and to the future. We turn our backs on the world and lose its kindness…"
“Functionally extinct” I take it to mean there may still be one or two left alive, but it’s hopeless for the species.
I know it’s wrong, but I’d kind of like to go over there, find the last one… and kill it.
It will likely be my only chance to personally wipe out an entire species.
Yeah, you’re quite the ferocious male, aren’t you Scylla. :dubious: I wish there were words to describe my opinion of that kind of attitude, but none seem sufficient right now.
When my dog is bored she shreds tissues, some people make silly posts.
“A species may become functionally extinct when only a handful of individuals survive, which are unable to reproduce due to poor health, age, sparse distribution over a large range, a lack of individuals of both sexes (in sexually reproducing species), or other reasons.”
30 scientists scoured a 1,000-mile area of the Yangtze but you might have a shot if you get an early start. They’re probably easy to catch since they’re practically blind, and think about how proud you kids would be. 
More facetious than ferocious. Your inverted mysoginy aside I don’t see what being male has to do with anything.
Anyway, I thank you for riding the WOOSH!. I hope you enjoyed your ride. Please exit to the right and remember to collect all personal belongings as you exit.
cough Misogyny <-> Misandry cough
I’ll just be a misanthrope and hate everybody. It’s easier.
Yeah, there are days when I give in to my inner misanthrope, because I don’t want to have to deal with willfully ignorant, rude people. I’m eglitarian like that. 
Scylla, your joke wasn’t. It was a graceless attempt at humor, IMO. Other people’s mileage may vary I suppose.
Where do dolphins shit? In sealed marine toilets?
Humans are the most successful large animal species on the planet. As species go, we’re no more self destructive than any other big species. Our numbers continue to grow.
The extinction of the baiji dolphin is unfortunate for the baiji dolphins and it’s unfortunate for humans if, in fact, its extinction has any negative effect on us, but so far nobody’s presented any evidence that’s the case. Extinction is not something humans invented; 99%+ of all the species that have ever existed are already extinct.
“Sentient” means “Having senses.” Ants are sentient. You mean “intelligence.”
Like TV characters, they’re so perfect that don’t need to go to the bathroom.
Well then, my apologies, your royal highness and divine arbiter of what is humorous and appropriate. Thank God I have you to stop by and edify me.
Well, aren’t you the bitchy female?