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not very good but I don't want to change the subject......
"A conversation should cease of its own volition."-- George Costanza
Quote:
Originally Posted by DCforever
The best way to control the deer population is to reintroduce lions and wolves.
Paul missed your humor.
That would work if we hadn't altered the habitat so much:
Deer are browsers. They don't live IN the forest. They live ON THE EDGE of the forest. We've cut so many roads thru the forests, creating hundreds of thousands of miles of forest edge, that the deer population is now many dozens of times larger than it was in pre-Columbian times....Now add in the extension of human habitation into the territory and you can't really maintain a wolf population large enough to keep the deer down without interfering too greatly with human activity.
Nicollet was the first European to have wide experience in the Wisconsin territory. He lived with/among the First Nations for years and estimated their numbers (the people, that is) in WI as about 20,000. WI now has almost 6 million-- doesn't leave much room for wolves. We now have ~1000 of them and the pack needs thinning. ..Here, we consider deer to be antlered rats. There are almost 20,000 deer/vehicle collisions annually here with many human deaths.
Bike lanes recently appeared in my neighborhood. I still tend to ride on sidewalks until I remember the bike lanes. They're not always visible under the snow, ice, and salt.
Wolves adapt to human population just like coyotes.
Not exactly.
Coyotes are good at avoiding human contact while living among us. They tend to do us a service by keeping rodent populations in check and only occasionally devouring the unwatched lap dog or house cat.
In my old neighborhood, more rustic than suburban, but only ~ 6 miles from Midway Airport, My two German Shepherds and I, while out strolling down the street, would frequently encounter a coyote approaching us walking down the middle of the street. It would get within 30 yds of us, then swing up on the lawn to avoid us by 60 ft while passing us. My dogs, straining on leashes, wanted to chase, but the coyote knew from frequent encounters that that wasn't to be allowed. I've also had a coyote pass nonchalantly within 20 ft of me on the street while I was doing gardening in the yard....I lost free-range chickens to hawks, skunks & raccoons, but never to coyotes-- too much trouble to climb fences, avoid dogs and not able to climb trees to escape in an emergency.
Wolves, OTOH, prefer larger game, hunt in packs, and once they discover easy pickin's amongst domestic livestock, are difficult to break of the behavior. This is a particular problem where wolf populations have been allowed to increase unchecked and exceed the natural balance to rely only on natural prey populations.
Coyotes have learned to live in harmony with humans, while wolves compete with and disrupt human endeavors when sharing our range.
Bike lanes recently appeared in my neighborhood. I still tend to ride on sidewalks until I remember the bike lanes. They're not always visible under the snow, ice, and salt.
Believe it or not, we can tie this all together:
Do we really need "Bike Lanes?" Shouldn't bicycles just take a safe route along the outside edge of the roadway like any slower traffic, allowing faster motorized traffic easy passage?...Those painted lines, after all, aren't steel girders guaranteeing the rider's safety, so marked or not, there needs to be increased awareness by both the two wheeler and the cager.-->
That brings us to the problem of deer and traffic. Now, a deer has those big, mobile ears, and they can hear your heart beat from 60 ft away. They KNOW a car is approaching...They just don't know what to do about it.-->
Same problem bicyclists and even motorcyclists have with traffic...Motorists can see us, they don't know what to make of us...are we pedestrians, co-equals on the road, or what?
Awareness and respect....Do unto others before they do unto you.
Bike lanes recently appeared in my neighborhood. I still tend to ride on sidewalks until I remember the bike lanes. They're not always visible under the snow, ice, and salt.
Believe it or not, we can tie all this together:
Do we really need "Bike Lanes?" Shouldn't riders just keep to a safe route on the right side* of the road like any slower traffic, allowing room for the safe passage of faster traffic? After all, those painted lines aren't steel girders guaranteeing safety to the bikes. We need increased awareness on the part of both motorists & riders with or without designated lanes.-->
That brings us to deer & traffic. Now, a deer has those big, mobile ears that can hear your heart beat at 60 ft. They KNOW a car is coming. They just don't know what to do about it.-->
That's the same problem bicyclists and even motorcyclists have with car drivers. They see us. They just don't know what to make of us. Are we to be treated like pedestrians, co-equals on the roads, or what?
Awareness and respect....Do unto others before they do unto you.
* Paul-- that's left side to you...And what about those Aussies?...Upside down AND on the wrong side of the road! How confusing
Wolves adapt to human population just like coyotes.
a bit of a throw away remark that and not based on facts, wolves will attack humans and have been known to do so, I suppose it would reduce the human population a bit which is always welcome.
a bit of a throw away remark that and not based on facts, wolves will attack humans and have been known to do so, I suppose it would reduce the human population a bit which is always welcome.
Many more deaths from dogs than wolves. Two people this century in North America. Don't get your worries from Little Red Riding Hood.
Many more deaths from dogs than wolves. Two people this century in North America. Don't get your worries from Little Red Riding Hood.
I don't live in America north or south. I can just hear the screams from the vegan lefties if we introduced wolves to control Bambi!!
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