As a conservation biologist, I find the subject
matter and tone of the marmot-cooking essay reprehensible and
unethical (HCN, 12/24/07).
HCN is a nonprofit media organization whose
mission is to inform and inspire people to act on behalf of the
West’s lands. One of the key themes underlying land-management
issues in the West is our need to have reverence for life – and
that means not just charismatic megafauna like the wolf, but also
marmots. When I got to the description of how marmots inflate as
they cook, and may even explode in your lap, I had to stop reading
for a while.
In working with wildlife as a researcher, I
have been taught to treat all creatures with the highest respect.
Articles such as the marmot essay undo the efforts of so many to
create a more sustainable world, where humans and wild animals can
coexist in relative harmony.
Cristina Eisenberg
Corvallis, Oregon
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline It’s back to the tofurkey.
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