Q: What does HP do?

We (1) research how to transform carnivorous species into herbivorous ones and (2) encourage dialogue about all aspects of this proposal. We are currently focused on researching for and writing drafts of papers eventually to be published in peer-reviewed journals. The papers will make the case for herbivorizing from both ethical and practical/biological perspectives (though they are interlinked). We are also recruiting others to get involved.
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Q: Why do we have a duty to end predation? What’s wrong with predation?

We have a duty to end predation because predation causes serious harms to sentient beings including untimely death and pain/suffering (physical and mental), and we plausibly will have the power to end it without causing more harms than we prevent.
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Q: Why do we have a collective moral duty to end predation?

We have a collective duty to end predation because it will be feasible only if attempted cooperatively.
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Q: Isn’t herbivorizing predators disrespecting predators?

Not exactly. It is disrespecting carnivorousness, since it doesn't deserve respect. We should respect attributes that are not harmful to sentient beings. We should respect prey animals' interests in not being hunted and killed.
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Q: Isn’t predation natural?

Yes if by natural it is meant not caused by humans. But this doesn't matter morally. Natural processes can be bad or good, just as artificial processes can be.
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Q: Won’t prey animals die somehow anyway with being killed by a predator possibly involving less suffering?

While animals will eventually die of something, most prey animals killed by predators are very young and not in need of euthanasia. Predation is not always quick, not anywhere close to painless, and causes other harms besides death like hunger (as preys choose not to forage to avoid predators) and persistent anxiety. We want to prevent pain/suffering and untimely death caused by other forces as well, like diseases, parasites, exposure, accidents, and water and food scarcity.
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Q: Without predators won’t herbivores (including new herbivores created through herbivorizing) overpopulate and eat the plants to the point of ecosystem collapse?

This is a concern if we ended predation very rapidly and without any population control measures like immunocontraception. And apart from us managing fertility of herbivore populations, there are other mechanisms in nature besides predation that prevent herbivores from over-exploiting resources.
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Q: Won’t herbivorizing predators inevitably cause more harm than good? Aren’t ecosystems too complex to predictably modify them so dramatically?

It isn't clear that it is impossible to safely bring about a herbivorous biosphere that supports the well-being of all sentient beings. Ecosystems are indeed complex, but that doesn't mean we can't understand them well enough to safely herbivorize predators.
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Q: Shouldn’t we first deal with human caused suffering and death of non-human animals?

While we work to end all animal exploitation by humans, we can also research and build support for abolishing natural harms including predation.
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Q: Shouldn’t smaller scale interventions with immediate benefits to wild animals take priority?

No, working towards ending predation isn't any less crucial because the results are farther off in the future.
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Q: Aren’t you playing God? Isn’t this sort of project an example of human hubris?

The notion of "playing God" connotes pride, but the motivation here is compassion. It also connotes misplaced confidence in our abilities to intervene safely. This is a legitimate concern, but we also shouldn't be paralyzed by misplaced doubt.
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Q: Why focus on something that is not achievable for the foreseeable future?

There is no time like the present. It is possible we can bring about the implementation sooner the earlier we begin working on it.
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Q: Why not simply eradicate predatory species altogether by sterilizing or painlessly killing them?

We should herbivorize predators because this way of ending predation plausibly results in an end state with maximized genetic and functional diversity, which stabilizes ecosystems to the benefit of all inhabitants. It also conserves potential for future evolutionary and ecological engineering (the "option value" of biodiversity).

Q: How is HP funded? How does HP use my donation?

We are funded through private donations. Currently we use donations for maintaining the website, online promotion, and equipment needed for podcasting. In the future we would like to have enough to hire researchers.
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Q: Is HP a non-profit organization? 

Not yet, but we are in the process of getting that legal status.
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Q: How can I get involved?

You can contribute to our research through conducting literature review of how to herbivorize predators, write blog posts for our website and social media accounts, record interviews/conversations for our podcast, or come up with your own ideas of how to contribute. Contact us if you would like to help.
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