Humans are really, really dumb

Before you go off the deep end, I want you to sit, read, think.

Look at this baby.

This is a grey wolf sc: Canis lupus. The wolf as a species is very old. This is a Columbia Valley/Northern Purcells one. Wolves have been living in harmony with their surrounds for many thousands of years. They kill for food, and can be killed for food.

Wolves do not breed beyond what nature dictates they can. They are smart, smart animals.

Wolves also happen to be a keystone in their ecosystem. A keystone is a stone, for instance in an archway, that supports the entire arch (the stone at the top, in the middle). Remove that stone, the whole thing collapses.

A little while, down in Yellowstone National Park in the USA - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Yellowstone+National+Park&ie=UTF8&ll=44.777936,-110.544434&spn=9.326876,21.269531&z=6&iwloc=A - many wolves were culled (almost to extinction I think). This was so hunters, yes, HUNTERS, had more elk and deer and the like to hunt. Leaving aside the whole hunting thing, how is the logic in that little cracker. Oh wait, it's devoid of logic.

Anyway, because humans are realllllly stupid and arrogant, they went and messed with the keystone, and lo and behold, elk and deer numbers (maybe caribou too, not sure) exploded. Then what happened? They started eating all the foliage low to the ground. This mean new young saplings were DEMOLISHED. No regrowth. No food for other animals.

What happened next? Birds and other animals disappeared. The place went haywire and I am told resembled a ghost town.

Some smart cat worked out the wolves needed to be there. The wolves were re-introduced and BANG, balance was restored and now the park is thriving. By the way, the figure given to me for the time between wolf introduction and restoration was frightfully short. Something in the number of single years. That's a very short period for a balance point to move in nature.

Now that's a lesson worth remembering.

Isn't it? Guys? Hello?

Well, it appears not. Now, I thought Canucks were reasonably enlightened souls, but it seems back West, boy howdy we have some evolving to do. Westies, they're reading back East! So hunters in Canada, not content with living in some of the most stunning natural terrain I have seen, and being able to ski, kayak, mountain bike etc, well, they need to have a bit of gun shooting to compensate for whatever is missing in their lives, and shoot some deer. Problem is, these humans are either:
a) crap hunters and scare the game away and thus can't find any, or,
b) they're too lazy to become good hunters, or,
c) the game are smart and go hiding (caribou case in point, same for wolves)

I am picking it's a combo of all three. So, these clowns want to shoot deer and elk (ok, ok, I supposeit's the same as fishing, but ONLY, if they eat all the game and don't go whacking stuffed heads and whatnot on their mantlepieces, I mean, COME ON).

So what does logic tell them....create a controlled environment full of said game? Nope.

Be better hunters? Nope.

Oh wait, let's take out our competitor the wolf. So now there is a very real possibility of a wolf cull throug capture/neutering or poisoning/shooting.

When will we learn?

The stupidity amazes me. Well, actually, no it doesn't.

Anyway, if you go to www.northernlightswildlife.com you can learn more.

It's a disgrace, it's a travesty. Where's Derryn Hinch, "Shame, Shame".