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Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

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Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#121

Post by eCa »

nazar wrote: post #95
ramblerman wrote: post #32

"Step one, therefore, would be to mount an intensive (and expensive) rat annihilation program. Residents would, no doubt, be happy to go rat-free, ..." I despise rats. Yet I find it disconcerting that the author just brushes this off as a triviality. We are perfectly happy saving one species by wiping out another.

They should import cats. Thats how they got rid from enormous rat population after Leningrad (current St.Petersburg, Russia) blockade during the WW2. That would be a natural way of annihilating rat population(passive killing).

Cats come with their own problems. They were introduced on Kerguelen Island to eradicate introduced rats. The rats are left, and the cats eat endangered bird eggs.

http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/kerguelen/kerguelen_species...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerguelen

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#122

Post by olalonde »

WiseWeasel wrote: post #115
kpanghmc wrote: post #96

From the Wikipedia article on Dryococelus australis [1] "The ultimate goal is to produce a large population for re-introduction to Lord Howe Island if the project to eradicate the invasive rats is successful." I wonder what the 347 residents of Lord Howe Island think about this? It's an amazing story and all, but I sure wouldn't want a bunch of these insects introduced into my neighborhood. [1] http://en.wikipedia.or…

Why wouldn't you want them? They seem harmless.

Cockroaches are harmless as well... A lot of people instinctively find most insects repulsive. No rational argument is going to convince them otherwise.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#123

Post by eCa »

lionhearted wrote: post #25
srl wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is one of the few instances where I disagree with that attitude. The risks involved in relocating ill-studied life forms are, obviously, enormous, and it does need careful and dispassionate consideration. I'd much rather risk a mildly interesting species go bye-bye than risk introducing a major ecological stressor. On the other hand, I might just be taking this stance because I'm so unfamiliar with biological st…

Human error almost caused the species to go extinct -- I think it's fair, right, and proper to move to restore them to their prior condition if possible, and the situation was critical on the pyramid. It seems like a pretty docile species based on the articles facts, and they could keep them cordoned in a lab until they found what to do with them. If the researchers and biologists felt it was the right play (which th…

The species obviously is not extinct.

They had been on the island and survived for 80 years, though it probably wasn't a picnic..

Imagine if the scientists had tripped a landslide over the habitat? What if the entire population had gone the way of the first two and died within two weeks?

It seems to me that in this case careful consideration probably saved the species rather than risk its survival.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#124

Post by potatolicious »

nazar wrote: post #95
ramblerman wrote: post #32

"Step one, therefore, would be to mount an intensive (and expensive) rat annihilation program. Residents would, no doubt, be happy to go rat-free, ..." I despise rats. Yet I find it disconcerting that the author just brushes this off as a triviality. We are perfectly happy saving one species by wiping out another.

They should import cats. Thats how they got rid from enormous rat population after Leningrad (current St.Petersburg, Russia) blockade during the WW2. That would be a natural way of annihilating rat population(passive killing).

This reminds me of an old Simpsons episode:

----

KENT Our top story, the population of parasitic tree lizards has exploded, and local citizens couldn't be happier! It seems the rapacious reptiles have developed a taste for the common pigeon, also known as the 'feathered rat', or the 'gutter bird'. For the first time, citizens need not fear harassment by flocks of chattering disease-bags.

Later, Bart receives an award from Mayor Quimby outside the town hall. Several lizards slink past.

QUIMBY For decimating our pigeon population, and making Springfield a less oppressive place to while away our worthless lives, I present you with this scented candle.

Skinner talks to Lisa.

SKINNER Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.

LISA But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?

SKINNER No problem. We simply unleash wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.

LISA But aren't the snakes even worse?

SKINNER Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.

LISA But then we're stuck with gorillas!

SKINNER No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#125

Post by troels »

Garbage wrote: post #8
ars wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know, I read that. Why are you repeating it? Was something I wrote unclear?

As per my understanding, what he is trying to say is, even if people gets ready to keep them as pets, very few might be able to survive in outer world.

Wasn't the point that they died from malnutrition? That's what I gathered from the second female almost dying, until it was fed a mixture rich in calcium.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#126

Post by agrover »

kpanghmc wrote: post #96

From the Wikipedia article on Dryococelus australis [1] "The ultimate goal is to produce a large population for re-introduction to Lord Howe Island if the project to eradicate the invasive rats is successful." I wonder what the 347 residents of Lord Howe Island think about this? It's an amazing story and all, but I sure wouldn't want a bunch of these insects introduced into my neighborhood. [1] http://en.wikipedia.or…

At what point do we consider those 347 residents as an invasive species?

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#127

Post by refurb »

jeremyarussell wrote: post #74
jimrandomh wrote: post #40

This seems to me like a case of empathy gone awry. All that work and effort to bring back a species of insects? There is no balance to preserve; they've been gone for almost a century. Those resources could be spent preserving human life.

These insects also don't go around murdering people (I'm about 99.9% sure of that, especially considering you see the people just holding them like it's nothing.) While on the other hand I see some people that murder, rape, burn and pillage the homes of people just trying to survive. Also, consider this, we are not messing with any balances or natural orders. We are in fact fixing a problem that we caused when we bro…

Lots of other animals have "negative" impacts on their ecosystems. Beavers build dams and flood habitats producing drastic changes to the ecosystem. Locust swarms clear entire fields of foliage. And you can't suggest violence is only a human activity. Check out Jane Goodall's work, apes will kill the offspring of rival females.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#128

Post by WiseWeasel »

olalonde wrote: post #122
WiseWeasel wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why wouldn't you want them? They seem harmless.

Cockroaches are harmless as well... A lot of people instinctively find most insects repulsive. No rational argument is going to convince them otherwise.

Cockroaches inside your house are a sanitation issue, since they drop feces everywhere. Beyond that, they can knock themselves out.

Re: Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

#130

Post by nl »

tpatke wrote: post #6

That's an amazing story. This insect was pretty lucky to live on the coolest rock climbing crag I have ever seen...which requires a special permit to climb [1]. I think I would have quite happily joined that "research" team. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balls_Pyramid

The first attempt to climb it was by Dick Smith (who is somewhat famous in Australia - initally for starting our version of Radio Shack)

(There had been an earlier attempt in 1964 by another Sydney team, which included adventurer Dick Smith and other members of the Scouting movement. They were forced to turn back on their fifth day, running short of food and water. In 1979, Smith returned to the pyramid, together with climbers John Worrall and Hugh Ward. They successfully reached the summit and unfurled a flag of New South Wales provided to them by Premier Neville Wran, declaring the island Australian territory (a formality which it seems had not previously been done).)

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