Fictional Story
To: Director of Animal Commercialization
From: Eric Johnson
Subject: Commercialization of the Red Wolf
Animal Classification: Kingdom/ Animalia, Phylum/ Chordata, Class/ Mammalia, Order/ Carnivora, Family/ Canidae, Genus/ Canus, Species/ Canus Rufus
Observation: Canus Rufus/ The American Red Wolf having been one of the primary Carnivores in the Southeast was practically driven to the brink of extinction with predator control efforts, as well as human growth and the eradication of native breeding lands. Our company can immediately benefit in the realm of public relations by endorsing and funding already established captive breeding programs and trying to influence them to use artificial insemination to better the results of the breeding efforts already under way.
These breeding programs can be further aided by the influence of our genetic modification research as well as by artificial selection. Should we proceed with this plan we should move to segregate wolves with richer dark red fur and only interbreed them for the purpose of eventually breeding out the primary brown or buff tones that show through by use of natural selection.
These wolves, once we reach a number bringing us out of the endangered category can be selectively bred releasing some to the wild for repopulation programs, but the ones with the richest red furs can be utilized by our clothing subsidiary as a prime source of fur. These furs only being attained in small numbers, the clothing produced with them can be sold to selective cliental at prime prices.
The meat from these animals can be sold through our food production sub company for the purpose of export to Asian nations that are friendly to the use of “dog” meat as a food source. This should be something done only on the highest levels of guarded secrecy as that it will not be seen by the American public as utilizing all that can be used, rather probably it would be seen as a violation of the animals rights. All the same this can be minimized by utilizing our efforts in bringing back the species from endangerment of extinction as out face saving move. We can rationalize that the animals being used for fur and meat sources were determined unfit for release.
The reality of this breeding program is that as we selectively breed these animals to brighten the red hue in their coloration, the possibility of an evolution in the species is possible. The animals being bred for the color of their fur will as breeding goes on move slightly further away from the original species as that their DNA structure will have the Chromosomes that enhance the red coloration and with luck eventually minimize if not eliminate the brown or buff hues seen in the original species. This would allow for us to use this fact as proof that releasing these animals would not be good for the environment as that they would be a totally new species and would be unlike the original species that we were bringing back from endangerment. That is why we at all times must maintain an percentage of the original breeding program in order to ensure the proper DNA representation in the animals that are used in release programs.
Inevitably this is a very precarious position and we are on the border of ethical and moral violation with this program. Not only will pursuing this program open us to attack from animal rights activists but it will also open yup the program to attacks from opponents of genetic modification. I suggest we move forward with this carefully always evaluating the program against the possible gains as that we may damage our reputation as well as helping it by aiding with the attempt to repopulate the species.
References:
Web: Red Wolf Recovery Program
