Group Wants to Transplant African Animals (to North America)

[deadparrot]

DENVER - If a group of prominent ecologists have their way, lions and elephants could someday be roaming the Great Plains of North America.

The idea of transplanting African wildlife to this continent is being greeted with gasps and groans from other scientists and conservationists who recall previous efforts to relocate foreign species halfway around the world, often with disastrous results.

But the proposal's supporters say it could help save some species from extinction in Africa, where protection is spotty and habitats are vanishing. They say the relocated animals could also restore the biodiversity in North America to a condition closer to what it was before humans overran the landscape more than 10,000 years ago.

Most modern African species never lived on the American prairie, the scientists acknowledge. But some of their biological cousins like mastodons, camels and saber-toothed cats, roamed for more than 1 million years alongside antelope and herds of bison until Ice Age glaciers retreated and humans started arriving.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/wild_america

[Kipling]

1. Er... why not?

As long as they're WELL fenced in. I have something of a phobia of large mean animals after being attacked by a large, tusked wild boar in Dorset (England), but I bet it would attract a HELL of a lot of tourists.

[nickinSTL]

2. uh...bad idea

for a number of reasons...

Do they intend them to roam FREE?

Certainly make driving across the plains states more exciting!

Seriously, though. Introducing new species to a habitat...bad idea. Things tend to go wrong.

[China_cat]

3. Not only that but then you get the

macho gun nuts who'll think they've been put there for them to shoot from helicopters like they've been doing with eagles and cougars and horses for years. Then there's our government who doesn't think anything, including people, should be protected from being preyed on.

Putting them here would be a total death sentence even if they could make use of the habitat.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. And not only that, but

where on the Great Plains could they put them that doesn't get blizzards?

Elephants and lions would be fine during a Great Plains summer, but as I recall, even parts of Texas get the occasional blizzard--something the African animals are completely unadapted to.

[Nihil]

5. Less of a problem for the big cats

When lions were imported to a wildlife park in England, it took them
little time to grow thicker warmer fur to cope with the winters (less
than two years I think).

Elephants (and other "bald" creatures) would have a harder time though.

Still agree with the earlier posters about the biggest danger to
imported species being the nuts who consider themselves to be "hunters".

[nickinSTL]

6. right, the big cats would handle it

There are lions who've grown up in the Midwest US, who (according to the director of a small midwestern zoo) play in the snow in the winter.

[greyl]

8. And don't forget cougars

There's a show on PBS right now about them and their interaction with suburban sprawl.
Interestinlgly, Texas is the only state without law against hunting cougars.

[MKR]

10. lions can handle it

Historically, there were subspecies of Panthera leo that lived from Greece to India, and from the Mediterranian all the way to the Cape of Good Hope. There ought to be enough genetic diversity left in the species to adapt to winters a little cooler than the individuals might currently be used to. After a few generations, they'd probably end up looking like cape or Barbary lions.

[oneighty]

7. On the plains

the grassy plains the Lion sleeps tonight.

A wheeeemmmmm away.

Or whatever. One would be hoping.

180

[Maple]

9. Canada already has this ...

'African Lion Safari is a Canadian owned family business created in the name of conservation. Our manner of exhibiting animals is completely different from the traditional approach; that is, the visitor is caged in the car, and the animals roam in 2 to 20 hectare (5 to 50 acre) reserves.

We first opened the gates to the public in 1969 with 40 lions in 3 reserves; today the park houses in excess of 1000 animals of over 100 species. After 35 years we have been successful with breeding 30 species that are considered endangered, and 20 or more species that are considered threatened. The original idea of "maintaining self-sustaining populations of species in decline" is still our priority.'

http://www.lionsafari.com/

The lions frolic in the snow btw.