Reintroduction Reservations

In my childhood and teens I spent quite a bit of time walking around the fields of the family farm and hiking in the surrounding woods. Up until around the time I turned 12 every several steps seemed to scare up a cottontail rabbit that was hiding. It'd scurry off and normally the dog, who went with me nearly every time, would give chase. She rarely caught a rabbit despite their numbers. It got to a point where was we saw most in the way of roadkill were rabbits. Then the hawks, osprey and other species of birds of prey came back.

It was probably the DDT's used in pesticides after World War II that so dramatically reduced the numbers of birds of prey in the region where I was raised. The largest bird I had seen until the hawks and others reappeared were vultures. In any event, the return of the birds of prey spelled the end of the rabbit overrun. Their numbers thinned to the point where for the remainder of the time I lived at my parents' house I rarely saw a rabbit, and then only in heavily wooded areas. That might not seem good for the rabbits, but a certain equilibrium was restored to the environment that had been lacking for years.

What I've described above was essentially positive, but there are cases of the restoration of a species to its former habitat that I do not consider acceptable at all. One prime example from the United States would be the reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park.

Around 13 years ago Federal wildlife officials began a program to bring gray wolves to Yellowstone. On the face of it there's a logic to this endeavor. Yellowstone is a national park and would seem to be the most logical place to have diverse native species, including those that are endangered. The trouble is that the wolves were mostly killed off in the first place because of the very real threat they pose to human life and livestock.

Wolves in packs kill for sport. I know, I know...you've always been told that humans are the only ones who hunt for the fun of it. Not true. In the case of wolves, they get themselves worked into a thrill and go marauding. They are known to rip an animal apart and then just leave the uneaten shreds behind. They do this with livestock (thus all the ranchers around Yellowstone suing and making claims) and they will do it with unarmed people too.

It makes sense to look to restore balance wherever the loss of a species in its native habitat has created problems. It is entirely unreasonable, however, to place predators that pose a threat to human lives and livelihoods anywhere near civilization. It may serve to satisfy someone's romantic notions about "the wild," but the reality is actually quite unpleasant.

See Also:
Yellowstone wolves remain controversial (UPI.com)
Reintroduction (Wikipedia article)