Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumThe relentless slaughter of wolves paved the way for a predator that refuses to die.
By Darryl Fears
June 3 at 6:00 AM
On a cold, miserable morning in May, Stan Gehrt trod across an open field as wind and rain blew in his face. He was leading a team of wildlife biologists on a mission to find an animal with a gift for not being seen.
The team didnt have to travel far from its headquarters for the search. A female coyote had made a den within sight of Chicagos skyline. They were only about five kilometers from Americas busiest airport, OHare International, Gehrt said as he advanced toward the den, wind howling through his cellphone microphone during an interview.
Like every state east of the Mississippi, Illinois is worried about its growing population of city-slicker coyotes. The animals surged from their original habitat in the West after what many now consider a colossal mistake government-sanctioned predator removal programs that virtually wiped out red and gray wolves.
Coyotes have been taking over the territory of wolves, their mortal enemies, ever since. It is a textbook example of what the recent United Nations biodiversity report said: Humans are creating chaos for wildlife, placing a million species in danger of extinction.
The report warned that mismanaging nature would come back to haunt humans in a variety of ways, including food and water shortages, and disruptions by invasive species.
As the Trump administration seeks to strip away legal protections for the last remaining wolves, state officials are contending with the consequences of a massacre carried out without regard to science.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/03/killing-wolves-was-supposed-solve-problem-created-one-that-will-last-forever/?fbclid=IwAR2BUl1K1k-_8Z8UdbMzcuai6cNUr7DiX_3-iCLjJB7RwIjkzFhABk4YpQg&utm_term=.a4ec8d46fd9a
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)are an absolutely NECESSARY coinhabitant to ensure the survival of the endangered black-footed ferret.
Yet homeowners from outside the region believe they are like gophers and are going to move into their backyards (something territorial prairie dogs will rarely do unless they BUILT on top of existent colonies to begin with).
Wipe out the food source and see what happens when coyotes rove your neighborhoods--which they will.
I am a big believer in coexisting. To do so, you have to maintain the chain. Wiping out one species affects every other link in the chain.
dhill926
(16,234 posts)a lethal combination...
MasonDreams
(756 posts)It was magnificent!!. On the other hand, I eat steak and I wear wool. Good thing I have an education and believe in science, otherwise, i would have a dilemma..
Spread the word, predators create herds. The grazers herd up for protection. The grazers living all bunched up is necessary to stop desertification, which in turn, is necessary to combat climate catastrophe. Check out Alan Savory on TED talks. How to green the world's desserts and reverse climate change.
His life's work shows us the way.
Kaleva
(36,147 posts)This subspecies is larger and more adaptable then the Western coyote.