As we start a new century, we should look back at the last one. When we do, we will see a depressingly large number of species, both animal and plant, that have been either exterminated or reduced in population to the point where their survival is questionable. Just a list of the species that we have eliminated from our world would cover many pages! The ignorance and arrogance of our species is astounding. We consider ourselves to be enlightened and civilized, but we as a species still eat ground up tiger bones in the forlorn hope that we will have the strength and ferocity of the tiger in the wild. We eat the horns of the rhinoceros, or the sexual organs of the tiger to improve our virility. We have killed the whales, not only to provide corsets for our wives, but for the oil of their bodies to lubricate some of our machinery. We have decimated some of the bird populations to get feathers for ladies' hats. The list goes on and on, and the reasons for the slaughter are many. Most of those reasons now seem frivolous to us, and I wonder what future generations will think of our reasons for killing our feathered, furred and scaled neighbours!

This column was supposed to be one of remembrance and joy, in keeping with the festive season, but when I started to write about the past 100 years, a deep gloom settled over me. To lift this mood, I must mention some of the successes that we humans have had in our interactions with the natural world. The Whooping Cranes are slowly coming back from the brink. They are not yet safe, but each year there are a few more of these magnificent birds to lessen the chance of their joining the Passenger Pigeons and Great Auks in history. We have worked diligently in banning the use of DDT, which has helped the Peregrine Falcons and other raptors to recover some of their lost numbers. Many thousands of dedicated birders have built nest boxes for cavity nesting birds, to help them in raising their families. Many more thousands of us feed the birds in our backyards, which helps the ones that over-winter here to live a bit more comfortably. These are some little bright spots in the dark panorama of the mass destruction that we have visited upon our non-human companions on this world-- small but encouraging!

Around the world, there are millions of people who are becoming interested in the natural world. We are watching and studying birds, butterflies, plants, and bugs of all shapes and sizes. We are beginning to understand that the world developed with all its inhabitants and environments linked closely together. Many of us tend to be a bit embarrassed by our hobbies, but we should be proud of what we do! Each time we see a creature or plant, and look it up in field guides, we learn a bit more about our world. With knowledge, comes understanding, and with understanding, hopefully we will see a drastic reduction in the extermination of the flora and fauna of this small world we share.

The challenge is before us all, to ensure that for our world and its wildlife, a better century is starting than the one that is ending. As William Beebe said so poignantly, "...when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again." I wish for us all, peace, understanding, and the will and fortitude to prevail against those who would destroy the wonders of our world.