http://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article209721684.html
So how much money is one dying sub species worth?
So how much money is one dying sub species worth?
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article209721684.html
So how much money is one dying sub species worth?
Heck no. That money could go to many other species that would actually benefit from it. The problem with today's "save all species" way of ecology is that they forget some species just die off naturally. There's not really any ecological benefit that I know of for the red wolves to stay around. As much as it may suck for some, some species are just meant to die off like Mammoths, sabertooths and dinosaurs just to name a few.
The difference is that red wolves were driven to near extinction very quickly by humans, not some natural event. While I recognize we'll never have a major population of red wolves in the SE, letting the species go extinct is unacceptable. Go read about some of the species that went extinct within the last century, it's sad that no one will ever get to lay eyes on any of them again. Carolina parakeet, passenger pigeon, ivory-billed woodpecker, tasmanian tiger, eastern cougar, heath hen, and eastern elk.
you gone and done it now!
The difference is that red wolves were driven to near extinction very quickly by humans, not some natural event. While I recognize we'll never have a major population of red wolves in the SE, letting the species go extinct is unacceptable. Go read about some of the species that went extinct within the last century, it's sad that no one will ever get to lay eyes on any of them again. Carolina parakeet, passenger pigeon, ivory-billed woodpecker, tasmanian tiger, eastern cougar, heath hen, and eastern elk.
Yeah it does suck that the wolves were almost wiped out by humans. But when it comes to wolves, there's a pretty good reason why they were hunted so hard in the settling days. Look at what the reintroduction of wolves has done to ranchers and other wildlife in the west. They are wiping everything out. Yes, it sucks that we wiped them out, and yes, it's not exactly "right" to put a pricetag on an animal that was driven out by us, but millions of taxpayer dollars on just a few animals left. That money could go to much more useful projects to help protect our wildlife and preserve nature.
Yeah it does suck that the wolves were almost wiped out by humans. But when it comes to wolves, there's a pretty good reason why they were hunted so hard in the settling days. Look at what the reintroduction of wolves has done to ranchers and other wildlife in the west. They are wiping everything out. Yes, it sucks that we wiped them out, and yes, it's not exactly "right" to put a pricetag on an animal that was driven out by us, but millions of taxpayer dollars on just a few animals left. That money could go to much more useful projects to help protect our wildlife and preserve nature.
I've got no problem managing wolves, but our predecessors were wrong to totally eradicate predators. I'm not sure what figures you're looking at, but what I saw said 1.2 million per year to run the red wolf program. That's really not as much as you think considering each state probably spends 40 to 60 times that each year on wildlife. I'm sure it probably could be managed better, but I find that to be a nominal price tag to prevent the extinction of another species.
I've got no problem managing wolves, but our predecessors were wrong to totally eradicate predators. I'm not sure what figures you're looking at, but what I saw said 1.2 million per year to run the red wolf program. That's really not as much as you think considering each state probably spends 40 to 60 times that each year on wildlife. I'm sure it probably could be managed better, but I find that to be a nominal price tag to prevent the extinction of another species.
I think I read it as 12. must've missed the dot in 1.2. But still, that's 1.2 million that could go to hog eradication and coyote eradication, both non-natives that are hurting native populations of everything. 1.2 million is plenty of money to restore the species if they really wanted to. So I don't know what they're spending it on, but if it takes them over a million dollars of taxpayer dollars to keep a couple of animals alive, and they're still somehow not restoring the population then it is definitely not worth it.
this is what I think also.I totally agree with Charlie too. 1.2 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the pricetags of so many other boondoggles we waste money on.
I think the red wolf is worth saving. I also think that the USFWS has blatantly lied to and screwed over the people of eastern NC in the process of their project. They tried it here in the Smokies with the same results. Now we have no red wolves here, but we have 50 lb red and black coyotes that howl in low F#m.