Aussies Could Use Elephants To Fight Invasive Species 274
A type of invasive African grass is a major cause of wildfires in Australia. The giant gamba grass is too large for cattle and the native marsupial grazers to eat, but David Bowman, a professor of environmental change biology at the University of Tasmania has a plan. He says that elephants or rhinoceroses could eat the pest grass. "... the only other methods likely to control gamba grass involve using chemicals or physically clearing the land, which would destroy the habitat. Using mega-herbivores may ultimately be more practical and cost-effective, and it would help to conserve animals that are threatened by poaching in their native environments," he said. This plan makes you wonder just how big a Chinese needle snake can grow.
Re:End game (Score:5, Interesting)
Well the horrible truth is they'll get poached out much quicker than they can breed. Keeping something like a rhino alive in such close proximity to the east might be a challenge that outweighs the benefits.
Re:End game (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:End game (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:And in the winter... (Score:5, Interesting)
Sydney has a freezing winter rain in summer and the air turns into a wall of white water. You get just as wet from the rain as you do from the humidity. The only difference is if you have your sunnies on or not.
Then someone turns the weather switch and while that toggle switch goes from winter to summer or visa versa the day will be maybe hot maybe dry maybe rain maybe cold, the only difference is it will be that way all day after you've left for work you either carry your jacket and wear your sunnies or you wear your sunnies and carry your jacket. But don't dare open an umbrella or the wind will rip it to pieces or sudden lightning reduce it a hole in the ground with some molten metal and the remains of one of your shoes. Deodourant companies are listed on the commodities market.
Then winter is so dry that your lips skin and hands dry and crack and you suddenly get two days of summer in winter.
Except when it's the other way around and it pours the freezing winter rain in winter and summer is so dry that everything everywhere is so flammable that if the reflection of your sunglasses hits the ground at the wrong angle the whole place goes up in flames.
The fire warning signs read something like (This is not a joke) Normal, High, Dangerous, Extremely dangerous, catastrophic. I almost feel it is appropriate to have them add "We're all gonna die" or "save the children" in case some people don't understand the point.
Other than that the weather here is wonderful, I'm sure the elephants will have a great time.
When will they ever learn .... (Score:2, Interesting)
So far that i know.
Rabbits were accidentally introduced into Australia by farmers ( having no predators) they thumped like rabbits.
cats were introduced to to control the rabbits , but like native birds better.
dogs were introduced to try and control the cats ( dingo's prefer kangaroo though).
not sure how the invasive toad species that are all over got there.
i think people still go out with bats and gulf clubs to kill rabbits ( they should export the meat , but i believe right now burn it)
Why would an elephant eat the tough grass first , why not the sweet tender native stuff and leave the tough grass alone until all the tender sweet stuff is gone?
Re:And in the winter... (Score:4, Interesting)
Seriously though megafauna are relatively easy to control because they breed slowly and can't really hide. It's the small animals you have to worry about.
You've obviously never stared down a charging bull elephant. (Not that I have, but it haunts my nightmares and I'm an Australian).