Chapter 3 --- Jennifer E

On page 60 of The Sixth Extinction an Unnatural History it’s states, “Auks were used as fish baits, as a source of feathering for stuffing mattresses, and as fuel. Stone pens were erected on Funk Island-- vestiges of these are still visible today--and the birds were herded into the enclosures until someone could find time to butcher them.” (C) This quote reminds me of how humans are always trying to expand, similar to the belief of the Manifest Destiny, which encouraged Americans to expand West. However, expanding West caused people to build houses and destroy the habitats of animals. This also reminds me of how humans use animals to produce consumer goods. This idea connects to the quote because auks were hunted for their feathers to be used as mattresses, like how human hunt down furry animals to make fur coats. This connects to the theme that humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years. This directly relates to the coat example because humans target animals and put them at risk of extinction. As a result, it is essentially changing the area of ecosystems and food chains because it putting animals at risk by completely removing the animals.