A plan to populate U.S. grasslands with wild lions, cheetahs, elephants and other African safari favorites has been slammed by conservation groups.
Put forward by a team of U.S. biologists, the plan argues for restoring giant mammals, or megafauna, that roamed North America during the last Ice Age. Because animals such as mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and the American cheetah are now extinct, proponents say the animal's closest African and Asian counterparts could be brought in.
Writing last week in the journal Nature, the Cornell University-led team said their "rewilding" plan could help mend the ecology of degraded grassland habitats in the U.S. They also hope to protect big mammal species that are threatened in their native countries. (See "Lions, Elephants to Roam the U.S. Plains?")
But wildlife experts say the idea reads more like a tourist attraction proposal than a serious conservation effort.
"Essentially, you'd be running it like a zoo," says Eric Dinerstein, chief scientist of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Washington, D.C. "Why not just encourage Disney to run a theme park?"
Iain Douglas-Hamilton, chairman of wildlife conservation group Save the Elephants in Kenya, East Africa, calls the plan "ridiculous."
"I understand the regret at the passing of the grand megafauna of America and the desire to reconstruct it. But right now, and for a tiny fraction of the cost, megafauna in Africa can be put back on their feet," he said.
Best Home for Big Mammals
Douglas-Hamilton says large African mammals, such as elephants, are still widespread and aren't under immediate threat in their native ranges. He doesn't see how U.S. wildlife reserves could help "unless there are radical, unforeseen disasters."
"The main thrust to save [giant mammals] should be on this continent [Africa]," he said in a telephone interview from Kenya.
Douglas-Hamilton adds that the costs of setting up large mammal parks in North America could mean less conservation money for wild animals in other parts of the world.
Eric Dinerstein agrees, saying that WWF, Princeton University, and other institutions have recently identified more than 30 places in Africa where new reserves could be set up.
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
