Response to a moral dilemma: the Madagascan bird egg

TEXT: Read the news article "Metal spade nearly foils fortune hunt" Duncan Graham

about the Andrich family's find of the 9 litre fossilised bird egg

PROCESS: Discuss the event and the issues raised.

Make your responses to these statements below to clarify what your views are:

1. I believe that what I find I can keep ("finders keepers") no matter the value.

2. I believe that some finds belong to the owner and every effort must to made to find the owner.

3. Some things I may find never belong to the finder: there are over-riding laws about finding minerals on private land e.g. oil and gold - these belong to the government.

4. Things I may find on others' land never belong to me because I am a trespasser e. g. any things found on private land, on Crown land, in National Parks I cannot possess (=take and keep) because I have no right to them. I have environmental responsibilities and I may not take another's property (7th Commandment)

5. Some things I may find cannot belong to me exclusively because of their scientific value e.g. fossil bones, human remains, a Madagascan bird egg, etc. Comment on the dilemma of the Andrich family in the Cervantes find.

G. Smith 1998

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