[dovate.com] » Battle Against Gorillas Nearly Won
Battle Against Gorillas Nearly Won
The BBC reported today that homo sapiens edged closer to total victory in the ancient battle for terran ape supremacy. Today’s report notes that Gorilla and Orangutan populations hover on the brink of species collapse and ultimately, total extinction.
Like the Wal Mart of the Great Apes, human beings stand proudly atop a diminishing list of competing species. While human action has led in large part to the annihilation of inferior monkeys, apes themselves are also to blame.
A recent report put the Ebola death toll among Africa’s lowland gorillas at nearly 5,000. Comparatively, a continuing outbreak among humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed less than 200 individuals. Better understanding, preparedness and post-infection actions undertaken by homo sapiens has spared our species a death toll similar to that of the subordinate loser ape populations.
While the victory against gorillas and orangutans should be praised, today’s triumphs pale in comparison to the ancient battles against competing hominids. Most revered is the human suppression and eventual eradication of the Neanderthal menace some 25,000 years ago. Likely able of verbal communication and equipped with larger brains than modern man, the destruction of the Neanderthals may be humankinds greatest victory.
Other extinct hominids include homo heidelbergensis, homo erectus and homo antecessor. While not a hominid or an ape, the elimination of the Yangtze River Dolphin should also be noted among mankind’s achievements.
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