NMSU Biologist Wants Island's Eagles Evicted To Save Foxes

The Albuquerque Journal (subscription required) ^ | Saturday, November 29, 2003 | John Fleck

[CedarDave]

Decisions, decisions, decisions! Which endangered species do we save with our tax money?

[CedarDave]

Please PING to your lists, or to those that have environment/conservation lists

[hang 'em]

Some Animals are More Equal Than Others.

[Spartano]

Send Vicente Fox to that island.

[Publius6961]

That question has been around forever.

What to do if an endangered owl eats endangered salamanders or mice?

Answer: change the subject and write another grant request.

[Billthedrill]

In research published Friday, in the journal Science, Roemer and his colleagues conclude that the only way to save the foxes is to get rid of the noble but deadly golden eagle.

What I see here is a failure of imagination. What you do is to import a whole bunch of poodles. They won't bother the foxes and the eagles will find them tasty.

[theFIRMbss]

>Some Animals are More Equal Than Others

Well, there's a food chain, and the bottom line is that foxes always rule!

[jtminton]

Did anybody notice that it really isn't the eagle's fault? Every other sentence is about how man caused all of these things to happen. I guarantee that eagles ate foxes before 1990.

[highnoon]

This stuff really does make me scratch my head. Too bad for the eagles that peta doesn't have an aclu contact, I think the eagle has a good case of species discrimination. It's not the eagle's fault if he is a better killer than the fox. And lets not forget the poor field mouse. He has both the eagle and the fox to contend with. He should get some sort of benefit from the government.

Arrgggh! Damn liberals!

[ClearCase_guy]

Begin spraying with DDT immediately! This will get rid of the eagles, I'm sure. And if it doesn't, perhaps we'll learn a thing or two about the dangers of DDT.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[Eastbound]

" . . .Biologist Wants Island's Eagles Evicted To Save Foxes,"

That's something like,

'BLM Wants People To Re-locate So Forests Can Burn'

[farmfriend]

Some Animals are More Equal Than Others.

And humans are at bottom of the list.

[eastforker]

Why not just import a bunch of pomeranians from one of the local puppy mills.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[expatpat]

In an attempt to restore the island ecosystem, the National Park Service plans to eradicate the feral pigs. That should help restore the island's natural vegetation.....But the scientists concluded that it would likely seal the foxes' fate. As pig populations decline, hungry eagles would likely eat more foxes

Duh! That was so obvious, I was just about to post this point, until I read further and saw it. Why don't they just let go and let the different species work it out according to Darwin, whom they worship.

[Old Professer]

DDT didn't wipe out the bald eagles; there is no way to count the fox population on a chain of islands; the pigs have been minding their own business and the grass will grow back anyway; these dudes just don't like yellow-headed birds. I heard that the main researcher's sister was once bitten by a golden eagle, but I can't prove it.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

LOL!!
I'd pay for a photo tour of that!
Watching the wily fox stalk the feral pomeranians.

[Maceman]

What can humans do when the needs of two threatened species clash?

Fire the biologists and let the winner take all.

[F.J. Mitchell]

If only the eagles could develope a taste for coytes.