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Home Environment Conservation What do you think about the plan to re-introduce cheetahs and lions to the American West
Environment

What do you think about the plan to re-introduce cheetahs and lions to the American West

Cheetahs and lions once roamed the American West, but they went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8983461/

http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfront...

What do you think about plans to re-introduce them?

A third-generation freethinker
12 Comments


Anthony R
Votes: +0

I would have thought there were enough cheaters and liars in the American west already!

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catpounc...
Votes: +0

Reintroducing wolves is one thing, because they were driven out because of humans just a few years ago.

Cheetahs and lions (first of all, did not go "extinct"smilies/wink.gif are not the same as the Ice Age animals. (You're thinking of saber-tooth tigers and such.)



That's like saying we should bring elephants over, because of the wooly mammoths that went extinct. It's not the same thing, and even if we still had mammoths to bring over, the environment is no longer suited to their needs.



Artificially introducing species into wild ecosytems is dangerous. Just ask Australia. Rabbits, cane toads.



Basically I think that idea is crazy.

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socalgrl...
Votes: +0

They won't do it. It would cause far too much devistation to natural environments. We have seen what bad effects it has to introduce major non-native preditors into an environment (like the golden eagle on the channel islands in california). even though they may have once roamed here before the last ice age, that was over 10,000 years ago, and all our environments have adapted to not having such creatures and preditors around. Re-introducing them would devistate all animal species as a trickle down effect.

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oikos
Votes: +0

Read the news item again. There are not RE-introductions. The plan, if you can dignify it by calling it that, is for introduction of animals that are similar to animals that once existed in North America. The vast majority of introductions turn out badly. Someone wanted to start an American silk industry and introduced gypsy moths. Disaster. Similar problems came with the introductions of nutria, kudzu, English sparrows, starlings, multiflora rose, water hyacinth, purple loosestrife ....

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xl123
Votes: +0

It's just not a good idea to introduce exotic species (a species that has gone extinct millennia ago would be considered an exotic)- especially in ecosystems where the native species are struggling due to other human activities. They do not belong. Every species within an ecosystem occupies a niche. It has taken countless generations for every organism to develop that role in its habitat. Introducing a foreign species to an area endangers the delicate balance that is trying so hard to exist there.



I will go so far as to say I am always against the introduction of exotics. It's rare that I'm always for or always against anything.

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Teresa H
Votes: +0

Just because they walked on our continent before the ice age doesn't mean they belong here. Our climate and food source isn't suited to them and we're too populated. They require many miles of space to form their territory. Extinct means they are no longer around and, clearly, lions and cheetahs still do exist. Re introduction is a mute point in this case.

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redneck_...
Votes: +0

that's bad because when they moved to Africa that's where they could survive. moving then here the climate was kill them in the winter and us redneck would probably want to hunt them so either way they would die. their better off there they are cause their surviving

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septogen...
Votes: +0

Not workable. They have been gone for too long and the food supply they lived on here before has also changed. When lions and cheetahs start eating corn and salsa you might have a chance.

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Tiffany K
Votes: +0

Personally, I worry about native species. although i do think it's an awesome idea, you have to worry about the native species getting in and getting hurt.

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scott h
Votes: +0

It sure would make picnics and hiking interesting.



You might be able to get wild reality television shows out of it too... I can see overweight tourists fleeing predators in flip-flops now.

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Stl_6str...
Votes: +0

Smart idea. Too many people have too many pets and small children.



They could be population control.

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roadhazz...
Votes: +0

I'd find it interesting but it will never happen.



Bring back the Mega Fauna!!!!!!

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