# Saving an animal's life vs. saving a human's life **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 20, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520 "2015-03-20T18:43:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/61 "2015-03-23T12:53:08Z")
**Skald** , if you look at it pragmatically, the kitten’s easier to feed. Bowl + milk + kitten = happy, fed kitten. Depending on the age of the infant, there may be more - and potentially more involved - steps to get the baby fed. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/62 "2015-03-23T13:14:37Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I disagree. > > To use an extreme example, let’s say for some reason that there’s some kind of calamity that would wipe out an entire species- make it totally extinct. And you’re the pilot of the last helicopter out of the area. You have the choice of saving the last breeding pair of that species, or saving two otherwise unremarkable people without children- no special skills, knowledge, abilities, or even looks. > > Who would you choose? (and no silly BS about taking the people’s places in noble self-sacrifice. You’re the helicopter pilot- you get out or nobody does.) > > I’d choose the animals- it’s unfortunate that the people would die, but there are literally billions of us, and any two won’t be missed or make any difference at all. Species go extinct all the time, always have and always will. The idea that you would leave two innocent people to die for some nebulous wishy-washy ideal about saving an animal species is just abhorrent. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/63 "2015-03-23T13:16:36Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > George Carlin relayed the following (that I got from [Animal Liberation Front - Petside](http://animalliberationfront.com/Saints/Authors/Essays/GCarlin.htm)): Thats some sick shit right there. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/64 "2015-03-23T16:11:09Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > **Skald** , if you look at it pragmatically, the kitten’s easier to feed. Bowl + milk + kitten = happy, fed kitten. > > Depending on the age of the infant, there may be more - and potentially more involved - steps to get the baby fed. Fuck that. The human infant is more important than the kitten because the kitten is a freaking cat. Any responsible adult’s first allegiance should be to the helpless creature of his or her own species. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/65 "2015-03-23T22:42:15Z")
Put me in the “save a human, unless it’s someone like Hitler, or Charles Manson” catagory. (Hell, I’d save a dead skunk before I’d save either one of those bastards.) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/66 "2015-03-23T22:44:53Z")
> [@Salvor](#): > > A special type of animal, an animal that has gained an extra level of sentience and self awareness that is not as common. Human Beings are the apex of this class of animal on earth and as such have more value. There is a sliding scale, I’m more willing to save a single dog or horse over a thousand insects. Same goes for a dolphin vs a sponge, intellect and self awareness and sentience beyond a certain point matters. By this standard, would this mean saving a highly intelligent animal over a severely mentally handicapped human? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/67 "2015-03-24T19:41:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m sure there are animals who should be saved over other humans, but that will not be considered acceptable by society. Frankly I’d hate to be put in the position of saving some stranger’s life by letting my best friend Blackjack to die. I\*\* do know that he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own life to protect a human being\*\*, the odds are against that stranger doing the same. bolding mine This does back to the thread about whether animals understand their own mortality. Does he really understand what death is and that he’d be “sacrificing his life”? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/68 "2015-03-24T20:36:53Z")
In general, no. In some extreme examples (a few of which have been given in this thread), yes. So I can’t say in all cases, but for the vast, vast majority of cases, I would side with the human life. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/69 "2015-03-24T21:25:52Z")
Unless the animal holds the genetic sequence for the cure to the zombie virus or something like that, I don’t see how you wouldn’t sacrifice even an animal as extraordinary as Coco to save a human life. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/70 "2015-03-30T17:33:50Z")
If the human is a poacher after some endangered species, and a group of them manage to kill the poacher, more power to them. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/71 "2015-03-30T19:58:09Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Species go extinct all the time, always have and always will. The idea that you would leave two innocent people to die for some nebulous wishy-washy ideal about saving an animal species is just abhorrent. Not to mention that if this really is the last breeding pair of said endangered species, the species is most likely doomed, anyway. Two individuals of a species aren’t enough to repopulate without severe inbreeding issues. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/72 "2015-03-30T20:34:49Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Thats some sick shit right there. Since about 80% of things on the Internet attributed to George Carlin were never said or written by George Carlin, I’d suggest some skepticism is merited here. I have not been able to conclusively demonstrate whether he wrote this or not, but I’ll work on it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520/73 "2015-03-30T20:47:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Since about 80% of things on the Internet attributed to George Carlin were never said or written by George Carlin, I’d suggest some skepticism is merited here. > > I have not been able to conclusively demonstrate whether he wrote this or not, but I’ll work on it. Yep. I was sceptical too, but it looks like it came from his book “Brain Droppings” I think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-animals-life-vs-saving-a-humans-life/715520.md?page=3)