Hybrid animals are not protected by international - issue??

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Harris: Currently, hybrid animals are not protected by international endangered-species regulations. But new techniques in genetic research suggest that the red wolf, long thought to be an independent species, is a hybrid of the coyote and the gray wolf. Hence, since the red wolf clearly deserves protection, these regulations should be changed to admit the protection of hybrids.

Vogel: Yet hybrids do not need protection. Since a breeding population that arises through hybridization descends from independent species, if any such population were to die out, it could easily be revived by interbreeding members of the species from which the hybrid is descended.

Which one of the flowing is a point at issue between Harris and Vogel?
(A) whether the red wolf descends from the gray wolf and the coyote
(B) whether there are some species that are currently considered endangered that are not in fact in any danger
(C) whether the packs of red wolves that currently exist are in danger of dying out
(D) whether there are some hybrids that ought to be protected by endangered-species regulations
(E) whether new techniques in genetic research should be used to determine which groups of animals constitute species and which constitute hybrids

[spoiler]OA: D. Though I selected B.
My reasoning: Harris - Hybrids are in danger, so require protection. Vogel - Hybrids are not in danger, so does not require protection. [spoiler]Therefore the issue is - "Since hydrids are in danger (part I), they require protection (part II)".

Option B does talk about species (hybrids are a kind of specie) are in danger - Part I of the above issue. The difference between D and B is - D talks specifically about hydrids whereas B about species. D talks about regulations (part II of the issue) whereas B talks about 'in danger'. I find both B & D addressing one part of the issue - both seem to be correct. Pls suggest where I am making mistake.[/spoiler]
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by sk818020 » Tue May 04, 2010 8:41 am
The reason B is wrong is because it says "whether there are some species that are currently considered endangered". The passage states at the beginning that "hybrid animals are not protected by international indangered species regulations." Currently, hybrids are not considered endagered so the two are not talking about currently considered endangered species. Thus, b must be wrong.

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by thephoenix » Tue May 04, 2010 11:26 am
the core issue is whether hybrids should be protected or not .....clearly expressed by D
B however is discussing about whether some species are endangered or not...
we need something related to protection
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by pnk » Tue May 04, 2010 11:28 pm
Thanks thephoenix.

Harris never mentioned about 'endangerment' of species. It only talks about protection (I missed this).

Thanks for the clarification.