Thursday, August 18, 2005
American Safari
I would love to see this happen:
Instead of having the animals just roaming anywhere, perhaps a Reserve can be created for them, which would lessen the risk of attacks on humans. Where the land would come from, is the obvious question. I don't see anything happening (if at all) for a long time, but in the meantime, you can see some "wild" animals in New Jersey.
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If a group of US researchers have their way, lions, cheetahs, elephants and camels could soon roam parts of North America, Nature magazine reports.
The plan, which is called Pleistocene re-wilding, is intended to be a proactive approach to conservation.
The initiative would help endangered African animals while creating jobs, the Cornell University scientists say.
By introducing living counterparts to the extinct animals, the researchers say, these voids could be filled. So, by introducing free-ranging African cheetahs to the Southwest, strong interactions with pronghorns could be restored, while providing cheetahs with a new habitat...
Other living species that could "stand in" for Pleistocene-era animals in North America include feral horses (Equus caballus), wild asses (E. asinus), Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants and lions (Panthera leo).
"Obviously, gaining public acceptance is going to be a huge issue, especially when you talk about reintroducing predators," said lead author Josh Donlan, of Cornell University. "There are going to have to be some major attitude shifts. That includes realising predation is a natural role, and that people are going to have to take precautions."
However Americans might do more than put up with their new compatriots - they might actually welcome them.
According to Dr Donlan and his colleagues, the re-wilding plan would offer ecotourism and land-management jobs to help the struggling economies of the Great Plains and Southwest.
Dr Donlan said that large tracts of private land are probably the most promising place to start, with each step carefully guided by the fossil record and the involvement of experts and research.
"We are not advocating backing up a van and letting elephants and cheetah out into the landscape," he said. "All of this would be science driven."
Instead of having the animals just roaming anywhere, perhaps a Reserve can be created for them, which would lessen the risk of attacks on humans. Where the land would come from, is the obvious question. I don't see anything happening (if at all) for a long time, but in the meantime, you can see some "wild" animals in New Jersey.
