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Sterile Ferals - Yes/No?
Oct. 23rd, 2009 12:36 amMy sister and I have recently decided to try a semi-vegetarian lifestyle - we'd only eat meat on weekends. This has nothing to do with us being squeamish about eating dead things (I used to finger paint with blood samples in biology class after all), but more an attempt to save money and improve our health. I don't know if you've noticed but, depending on what and where you buy it, meat can be quite expensive. We started talking about why different types of meat were priced differently in different states. For example, my sister mentioned that our mum bought some kangaroo meat in country Victoria for almost double what it would cost here in Adelaide. I told her that feral kangaroos were a big problem in northern South Australia, and the fact that hunters could (legally) go on a killing spree at certain times of the year probably accounted for the abundance and lower price of kangaroo meat here.
But this got me to thinking about feral animals in general. Feral animals are a big problem here in Australia, especially introduced species such as rabbits and foxes - they threaten the balance of our ecosystem and the environment's ability to regenerate properly. Every year scientists and governments try to come up with new ways to limit feral populations. Their most recent idea is fertility control, either through viruses, chemicals, or surgical removal of reproductive organs.
When choosing to implement ANY wildlife management strategy, however, we have to take into consideration all the underlying factors – target species, risks, effectiveness, locality etc.
( Read more... )
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What are your thoughts on wildlife management and control? I'd love to hear them :)
Dimi's Random Thought For The Day: Sometimes I think humans should be considered a feral species. I've met a number of people who should DEFINITELY be prohibited from breeding.
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But this got me to thinking about feral animals in general. Feral animals are a big problem here in Australia, especially introduced species such as rabbits and foxes - they threaten the balance of our ecosystem and the environment's ability to regenerate properly. Every year scientists and governments try to come up with new ways to limit feral populations. Their most recent idea is fertility control, either through viruses, chemicals, or surgical removal of reproductive organs.
When choosing to implement ANY wildlife management strategy, however, we have to take into consideration all the underlying factors – target species, risks, effectiveness, locality etc.
( Read more... )
-
What are your thoughts on wildlife management and control? I'd love to hear them :)
Dimi's Random Thought For The Day: Sometimes I think humans should be considered a feral species. I've met a number of people who should DEFINITELY be prohibited from breeding.
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