[sociotard]

I don't like the idea of african lions on my continent. Look at how they drag people from their beds in Tanzania. Mountain lions don't do that (generally). Even with herbivors, look at how many people are killed or maimed by bison every year, not because the bison are out to get them, but because the tourists do stupid things to them, like try to ride them or shoo them into a better camera position. I don't think we're smart enough to live around elephants.

If they were to do this, I would hope they'd use another suggestion I heard, that of using genuine Pleistocene DNA, grafted (if necessary) onto their modern equivalents. It just seems more interesting.

[cake_crumb]

13,000 years ago was during the Ice Age. The "lions" and "camels" that roamed North America were NOT the same as the ones in Africa and the Sahara now. How do they propose to recreate an ecology then disappeared 11,000 years ago when we don't even know how OURS works??

Now to the wildlife: for the "camels" grab some alpaca and llamas from South America. For "lions"...well, unless we manage to clone the sabre toothed cat with a strong enough gene pool for it not to become extinct again, we're just gonna have to be satisfied with mountain lions; though they're a different specie of cat, at least THEY'RE native.

Whoever came up with this idea needs to slow down on the late night drinking binges.

[cake_crumb]

And we've ALREADY got horses, big cats, donkeys and the asses who come up with whacked like this one. Elephants...for Pete's sake.

[LiteKeeper]

YEC INTREP

[lastchance]

I Wish science would make up its mind. First we hear about an obesity crisis in the U.S. then we get told, " The plan, would help enrich a North American ecosystem that was left almost devoid of large mammals at the end of the Pleistocene period."
Either they want large mammals or they don't. Now which would you rather have people wandering about looking for their next Big Mac or hungry lions?

[sociotard]

On a related note:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3075381.stm
It talks about Japanese and Russian scientists trying to clone a mammoth.

[6SJ7]

... lions, cheetahs and camels could one day roam the western US under a proposal to recreate North American landscapes as they existed more than 13,000 years ago, when humans first encountered them...

Does this report imply Native Americans caused extinction of some animal species in N. America?! Oh the horror!

[ChildOfThe60s]

Typical pointy-headed acedemics awash in hubris.

All other arguments aside, man cannot create a sustainable ecosystem. Just look at the repercussions of plants and animals that have been imported into various countries to control this or that pest. Huge failures that turn into Frankensteins.

[konaice]

Between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, 97 of 150 genera of large mammals disappeared from around the world. Although a warming climate played its part, the consensus is that over-hunting by humans probably had a significant role.

This is backward. If anything, it was a cooling climate that played a part, specifically the Ice Age which concentrated the large animals near coastal areas preventing them from migrating away from the hunting pressure.

In fact, the ice age + over-hunting theory appeared right here on FR not that long ago:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1461424/posts
This, to me, suggests the author is trying to sneak in the global warming junk science into a story that really has nothing to do with warming.

As for the merrits of the introduction of these large anumals, every single instance of Man's tinkering around with introduction of outside species has brought disaster in one form or another. Witness the rabits to Australia, dogs and cats to New Zealand, Buffo frogs to Hawaii, etc.

Left unsaid is who's land they propose to take for their grand expiriment.

[LPM1888]

I think it is a great idea. It is best possible use for the State of Kansas!

[Tempestuous]

Hasn't anyone seen Jurassic Park? I think it would be a bad move.

[TomGuy]

recreate North American landscapes

It would also help preserve wildlife that faces the threat of extinction in Africa and Asia

Doesn't both Asia and Afric have more land than North America? So, why not put the preserve in on one of those? [Answer: The envirwackos have no influence in Asia or Africa, and Europe is too crowded already.]

[Wonder Warthog]

"Eventually, the animals could roam in preserves hundreds of thousands of hectares in size. The best place to create this “Pleistocene Park” would be in the North American Great Plains, where the human population is relatively low and the grazing animals would have a ready supply of food."

Uh, I think those "hundreds of thousands of hectares" still belong to people, despite the fact that the "human population is relatively low".

Now we know the REAL reason behind the Supreme Court's "eminent domain" decision.

[null and void]

Still, a 100 mile wide big game corridor from San Diego to Corpus Christi has a certain appeal...

[Christopher Lincoln]

Have you noticed that anything that scientists cannot explain is said to be the doing of man, provided man was around at that time?

[Tribune7]

The best place to create this “Pleistocene Park” would be in the North American Great Plains,

I think this is an excellent idea -- although the perfect spot would be northern Long Island. Eastern Massachusetts wouldn't be bad either. Or maybe Connecticut.

[Christopher Lincoln]

They propose introducing the animals over 50 years, starting with horses, asses and camels, working up to elephants, and finally bringing in the big cats.

As far as horses and asses are concerned, they're about five centuries late. As for camels, the llama is probably closer to anything that lived in Pleistocene America than the camels of the Old World.

[SunkenCiv]

alas...

Call to restock North America’s large mammals (Lions, Tigers,Bears Alert)
NewScientist.com | 18:00 17 August 2005 | Kurt Kleiner
Posted on 08/17/2005 1:56:34 PM EDT by 11th_VA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1465229/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Just adding this to the GGG catalog, not sending a general distribution.

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[hosepipe]

Could happen after the muzzies nuke most large american cities and blow up other malls, bridges and dams.... Unless Americans finally get busy.. Could happen..