(781) 599-4317 termiteboys@gmail.com

These days animal rights activists often go to extremes in order to demonstrate their love of animals. The PETA advertisements in magazines that feature celebrities are a perfect example of how serious some people are about the sanctity of animal rights. The increasing awareness among the public concerning animal rights is certainly a good thing. Without animals to maintain the delicate balance of the ecosystem, catastrophe would result. However, it seems that animal rights activists prefer to cherry pick the animals that they want to save based on how cute they are. While everyone is in favor of saving polar bears, cuddly pandas and other adorable animals, it cannot be denied that insects are often, if not always, left in the dark. This is understandable, as insects are anything but cute. However, in many ways, insects are the animals that are the most worthy of saving, as they maintain the environmental conditions that allow humans and all other animals to survive on this planet. Amazingly, there are still several countries around the world that fail to recognize insects as animals. Surprisingly, Australia is one of these countries, but entomologists are currently attempting to influence legislation in order to make insects a legal part of the animal kingdom in Australia. If these entomologists succeed, insects may be granted many of the same rights accorded to mammalian species.

Kangaroo Island is a part of Australia, and it is located on the southern coast. This island has recently been gathering attention from scientists on account of its magnificent insect species. This island hosts an unusually diverse group of insects, some of which researchers believed to be extinct. According to Dr. Richard Glatz, an entomologist from Australia, the insects on Kangaroo Island are in need of legal protection from the Australian government, as their ecosystem is fragile, and the slightest environmental disaster could see the extinction of many of the island’s insect inhabitants. Australia does not grant rare or endangered insects any sort of protection, as they are not legally classified as animals. Thankfully, a group of scientists with the Australian Entomology Society have recently published a scientific article that argues for the rights of endangered insects in Australia. Given the degree of pressure that scientists are putting on the government in this situation, it is likely that insects will be considered animals in the country of Australia sometime in the near future.

Do you know of any other countries where endangered insects are not protected under environmental laws?