On Thanksgiving Day, Americans pause to consider what we have to be thankful for — usually over a plate piled high with turkey and stuffing. Strange that our primary symbol of this celebration is the turkey. Or, perhaps it is not so strange. Birds, in general, provoke strong feelings in many people — the avid bird watcher, the rabid environmentalist, the intrepid duck or goose hunter, the gourmet chef or the lonely old man sitting on the park bench feeding a flock of pigeons. All have some sort of an emotional relationship with one or more bird species or birds in general.
But what about the turkey? At the first American harvest celebration in 1621, there is no clear evidence that the pilgrims and Indians ate turkey. It is just as likely that they dined on deer or wild goose. One story has it that the pilgrims could not find a turkey so they feasted with the Indians on crow. So perhaps the symbolic status of the turkey is just the product of an overzealous New England turkey promoter, nothing more and nothing less.
Many other bird species have gained special status for various reasons. One such is the whooping crane, loved by many as a symbol of perseverance and rebirth from near extinction. I have been working for more than two years with a well-known environmental attorney on a legal project involving a possible oversubscription of the waters of the Guadalupe-San Antonio River System and the subsequent increase in the salinity of San Antonio Bay, winter home of the whooping crane. During years of relative drought, heavy use of these rivers by human activities critically reduces the amount of freshwater flowing into the bay system. As a result, fish, crab and shrimp populations drop, and whooping cranes have less to eat — leading to stress and loss of life among the cranes wintering in and around the bay.
Although the plight of the whooping crane is a serious one, our concerns were initially driven by water management issues and potential future water shortages in the region. However, the more we studied the case, the more sympathetic we became by the adversity to which the whooping cranes were subject. The whooping crane is, after all, an endangered species and is protected by the Endangered Species Act, which makes it illegal to kill, harm, or otherwise “take” even one of these birds. We subsequently published an opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle about the whooping crane and its relation to the rivers. Many readers submitted very sympathetic comments on the article. Others were not at all on the side of the whooping crane. A fairly typical contrary comment was, “Who cares! Open up hunting on them and there would be no problem to worry about. Humans first, birds later.”
Comments such as this trouble me. As one who on occasion writes opinion pieces for the newspaper, I should expect to hear from people who disagree with me. But I wonder, what if the story were not about whooping cranes, but about the bald eagle, a venerated symbol of our nation? I can see that there might be less disagreement with such an article because the bald eagle has a certain mythical status.
But objectively, does the bald eagle deserve the respect given it because of its symbolic importance? Although we respect the eagle and would like to think that this magnificent bird eats only fish and other meat that it soars down and captures, in reality the eagle finds it much easier to eat carrion and is a popular inhabitant of local dumps. Yet, we, as Americans, forgive the bald eagle for this minor character flaw.
Now, this brings me to the point of my story. I believe the emotional response that people show toward a natural object such as a whooping crane, eagle, or turkey is more reflective of the cultural and symbolic correlatives they have acquired rather than based on the intrinsic or “real” value of that object. After the bald eagle was chosen as our national emblem, Ben Franklin remarked that, as birds go, he admired the turkey more than the eagle. The turkey is “a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America,” Franklin wrote. “He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.”
Now personally, I don’t really like eating turkey on Thanksgiving and would much rather have ham with my cranberry sauce. However, I do regard the turkey in the wild as an impressive sight, one that would be worthwhile observing. I also admire the bald eagle, probably because it looks so majestic in flight, as much as I respect it as our national bird. But I love the whooping crane. I love it simply because it is there, unconsciously defiant and somehow tenuously enduring. I hope it is never lost.
Ronald L. Sass, Ph.D., is the fellow in global climate change at the Baker Institute and the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Natural Sciences emeritus at Rice University. He has consulted for the Environmental Protection Agency and advised the United Nations Development Programme Interregional Research Program on methane emission from rice fields in Asia. Sass has also received the Rice University Award of Highest Merit, the Rice University Alumni Association Meritorious Service Award and the Rice University Alumni Association Gold Medal of Honor.