Humans are attracted to pandas, penguins and orcas - cuddly, cute, sleek or majestic species. None of the preceding adjectives have ever been applied to my family. We are not brightly colored, we are not known for our personality and we can hardly be called cute or cuddly. Some of us have even less attractive methods of deterrence. You can't fault environmentalists for using more attractive animals in the logos they design for fundraising campaigns.
People are eager to help save black rhinos or mountain gorillas.
They send letters, money, volunteers - all kinds of support. However, it is a rare human being who gives a hoot, let alone a dollar, to save a sea cucumber. Even with our lowly appearance and less than attractive habits, we are an important link in tropical and temperate marine ecosystems around the world. We eat what other organisms leave behind, removing organic matter from the sand and generally cleaning up after many other more colorful sea creatures. I bet you didn't know that the white sand you are fond of wiggling your toes in when on vacation is, in part, thanks to us.