Professor criticized for population talk

UPI
Apr. 06, 2006

A University of Texas professor's recent talks on the need for population control and pandemic diseases have stirred up a controversy on the campus.

Some thought the comments by Eric Pianka were only a warning but some others thought Pianka was advocating the use of deadly viruses to kill off millions of people as a way to control population growth, says a report.

The comments reportedly drew e-mail threats on Pianka's life.

Pianka's detractors claim he is obsessed with death and disease, reports the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman. But supporters say his rhetoric may shock some but is only intended to make people think about the consequences of uncontrolled population growth.

"I've found that it takes courage to tell people what they don't want to know," Pianka, 67, told the newspaper. He said his comments have been blown out of proportion. He said he is scheduled to meet with FBI officials because someone had reported him as a terrorist.

"They think I'm forming a cadre of people to release the airborne Ebola virus into the air. That I'm the leader and my students are the followers," he told the American-Statesman.