Group suggesting reintroduction of Jaguars into SouthWest US

[Caballoflaco]

@RevolverRob you’re going to be working on sequencing bear sloth genes so we can use grizzly surrogates to grow some new ones and re-introduce them the the Pacific Nortwest right? That just happens to be the arbitrary time and place I would like to turn the clock back to and I would be more than happy to donate some money to that cause.

In addition to the general mayhem it would unleash we have enough members in that area that it would probably lead to a pretty sweet bear-sloth defense thread here.

[RevolverRob]

@RevolverRob you’re going to be working on sequencing bear sloth genes so we can use grizzly surrogates to grow some new ones and re-introduce them the the Pacific Nortwest right? That just happens to be the arbitrary time and place I would like to turn the clock back to and I would be more than happy to donate some money to that cause.

In addition to the general mayhem it would unleash we have enough members in that area that it would probably lead to a pretty sweet bear-sloth defense thread here.

De-extinction isn't really my bag. You have to wonder if the solution isn't just to introduce more grizzlies to the area.

This reminds me of a story - This could be apocrypha and I don't have a firm source.

Supposedly back about 20-years or so ago, before a decent captive breeding program was really established for Galapagoes tortoises, there was a big hub-bub by conservation biologists. Some studies had been done that found islands without tortoises were floral depauperate compared to those with tortoises present. Further study identified that Galapagos tortoises are one of the key movers of seeds and spores around their islands. They eat the plants and then transport them and shit them out elsewhere. Helping spread flora around the island. The conservation biologists were really upset, because they needed Galapagos tortoises to do this work on the islands where they once were to help preserve the fragile ecosystems. Apparently, after much arguing, one of the three evolutionary biologists invited to this conference stood up and said, "Why don't you just put a large tortoise, any large tortoise, on those islands?"

As someone who has worked on a lot of turtles over the years. A tortoise is a tortoise is a tortoise, like they really all kind of do the same things.

Apparently, these folks were so adamant that it had to be a Galapagos tortoise, they couldn't fathom the idea of sticking a few sulcate tortoises on the islands, until a captive breeding program got started. So, instead, they hand dispersed seeds around the islands...

To me this is a classic example of what happens when you don't consider that there are real alternatives and you just need to use your brain. Realistically though, they used this hand-dispersed efforts as a way of generating massive dollars to create a captive breeding program. I'm probably a bit cynical about this, but I'm careful when I evaluate conservation efforts and who leads them. There is A LOT of money in this realm and I know quite a few people who do really shitty science to promote pretty sketchy results to raise money and awareness. Which is not to say all efforts are nefarious, nor are these efforts all about money. But when I see an avowed 'conservationist' taking a dozen or more international flights a year to attend conferences at remote resorts, I have a hard time taking those people seriously. I'm being really biased right here, because I'm thinking of one specific colleague, but there are many others like this one.

[Doc_Glock]

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireSt...hwest-77722233

That would be cool.

[OlongJohnson]

Hell, people in Texas are already all over this program.

[scjbash]

'Rewilding' is a fairly common concept in conservation biology. Conceptually, the ecosystem balance is very important, realistically, ecosystems are sufficiently disturbed today that attempting to rewild them may not achieve the balance sought, if the variables in the system aren't as clearly understood as thought.

I've read suggestions to bring some endangered African species here, and better yet, reintroducing extinct megafauna once they get the whole cloning thing mastered. Prides of lions fighting mammoths would make trips to Yellowstone more exciting.

[Jim Watson]

More jaguars, fewer joggers.

[OlongJohnson]

I've read suggestions to bring some endangered African species here, and better yet, reintroducing extinct megafauna once they get the whole cloning thing mastered. Prides of lions fighting mammoths would make trips to Yellowstone more exciting.

Texas game laws apply only to native species. So there are populations of African and Asian animals in the state where the only restrictions on hunting them are land access. People seem to be happy with that arrangement.

Someone likes to ask the question whether you would support cloning T-Rex or not. I vote no. The way I see it working out is, if you had just one, and it got out, it would do some damage, but we can handle one or a small number. We're pretty good at hunting stuff. However, some a-hole would catch a little one, and instead of killing it, would take it somewhere and turn it loose, then charge people to come hunt it. Rinse, repeat. Before you know it, there would be a breeding population, and people all over would be releasing them here and there to charge people to come hunt them. We'd be overrun because of dumbass "capitalists."

Just like happens with hogs, which are spreading around the country much faster than they would without human intervention because of what I just described.

[Joe in PNG]

Well, we're not too far off from accidentally releasing tigers and hippos.

[Borderland]

More jaguars, fewer joggers.

Jesus, where the hell is your compassion and sense of social responsibility to the trail runners and mountain bikers? They already have enough problems with cougars and you want to introduce a whole new predator species?

[Borderland]

Texas game laws apply only to native species. So there are populations of African and Asian animals in the state where the only restrictions on hunting them are land access. People seem to be happy with that arrangement.

Someone likes to ask the question whether you would support cloning T-Rex or not. I vote no. The way I see it working out is, if you had just one, and it got out, it would do some damage, but we can handle one or a small number. We're pretty good at hunting stuff. However, some a-hole would catch a little one, and instead of killing it, would take it somewhere and turn it loose, then charge people to come hunt it. Rinse, repeat. Before you know it, there would be a breeding population, and people all over would be releasing them here and there to charge people to come hunt them. We'd be overrun because of dumbass "capitalists."

Just like happens with hogs, which are spreading around the country much faster than they would without human intervention because of what I just described.

You don't have a hog problem there, do you?

https://youtu.be/dhLJ1qWlNp4