Comments Mockingbird has made

Megafauna in America

This is a great article by a man with conservation biology ideas and Earth First! sentiments.  I love Josh Donlan's idea, I would love to see megafauna from Asia and Africa roaming the plains and forests of the US.  But that dream makes me sad because I'd like it so much more than the shopping malls, highways, cars, trucks and suburbs that are currently overpopulating the American landscape -- and it isn't going to happen.  It's an idea whose time has gone, very unfortunately.  There are too many people in the US, most of them conditioned to be scared of megafauna and ignorant of the importance of biodiversity.  

When the reality of oil depletion hits, land will be needed to grow food.  That could be soon.  And then it will be too late and too expensive to bring lions and tigers and elephants, etc,. over from Eurasia and Africa.  Maybe after the die off (or die back) of humans, the animals of the Earth (if there are any left) will repopulate North America, but not until then.  That is my regretful opinion.

I also share concern about the trauma of relocating megafauna from far continents.  It's hard enough to successfully do it within North America, as when lynx were relocated from Canada to the Colorado Rockies and most of them starved to death.   It wouldn't be fair or kind to the animals -- too risky.  Better for humans to grow up and accept what a mess we've made of this planet and humbly become ecoliterate in order to survive global warming and oil depletion.  There's no time to lose!On How a plan to return big beasts to North America raised hackles and hopes posted 4 years ago 4 Responses