David has opened a line that I was surprised not to see before -- = introduced aliens for biological control of other aliens. Widely = accepted when the control species is a specific disease organism or = parasite (like myximitosis for rabbits and certain wasps), but usually = subject to the law of unintended consequences.
Bill Silvert ----- Original Message -----=20 From: David Hilmy=20 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: 'William Silvert'=20 Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 2:11 PM Subject: RE: invasive species and cats (Bill Silvert) And if you will forgive me Bill, but perhaps one way of dealing with = the invasive arrow bamboo, Pseudosasa japonica, would be to perhaps = introduce one of it's feared enemies, the Giant Panda (apparently arrow = bamboo is favored by both Mei Xiang and Tian Tian here in DC) and as it = has been documented that pandas in the wild are known to feed on 42 = species of bamboo [Taylor AH, Qin Z. 1993. Ageing Bamboo Culms to Assess = Bamboo Population Dynamics in Panda Habitat. Env Cons 20:76-79], other = problem species may also suffer the same fate. Although we will all have = heard of the trouble we can get into when we introduce the alien = predator to the alien target species and find that they end up targeting = everything native as well (the concept of "alternative prey abundance" = supporting predators came a little too late for some); and what of that = American Dream, KFN: Kentucky Fried Nutria, "a 12-pound water rat that = culinary experts say tastes somewhat like a beaver, is less greasy than = a 'coon but is not quite as good as possum?" [Grimes, D. Sarasota = Herald-Tribune, 1997] =20 David =20 David Hilmy Director of Conservation KuTunza Environmental Education Program Europe: 27 avenue de l'Op=E9ra, 75001 Paris, France USA: 2804 Shepherd St., Mount Rainier, MD 20712; 202-316-4902 =20 =20 =20 -----Original Message----- From: William Silvert [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 4:40 PM Subject: Re: invasive species and cats =20 Unfortunately the real issue is not whether a species is invasive but=20 whether it is charismatic. Cats, mustangs, and even panda bears if = they were=20 released into the wild and could survive in N. America, are = charismatic.=20 Whether they fit into the ecosystem is politically irrelevant. =20 Birds of course are also charismatic, but I think that cats trump = piping=20 plovers. =20 Bill Silvert =20 =20 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "Blanc, Lori" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:29 PM Subject: invasive species and cats =20 =20 > In all the discussion so far about introduced/invasive/non-native > species, I don't recall seeing any mention of cats. >=20 > I've heard a lot about the impacts of cats on wildlife in Australia, = but > not as much about cats here in the U.S. Indeed - this can be a > sensitive issue, since so many people have cats for pets, and let = the > cats have free roam outside. For example, I recently saw an article = in > the New York Times (Nov 13), which presented the case of a birder in > Texas who shot a feral cat, which he had observed stalking = endangered > piping plovers. This case is in court, with many people upset about = the > cruel treatment (i.e. shooting) of the cat. The person who shot the = cat > faces up to 2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for shooting the = cat. >=20 > So, this raises a few questions: >=20 > 1) Are house cats considered an invasive species in North America? > 2) Do cats have a significant negative impact on avian populations = in > North America? >=20 > I realize that I can do a quick literature search on this topic to = learn > more, but I'm also curious to see what the general opinions are of = the > ecologists on this listserv, especially within the context of the = recent > invasive species discussion. >=20 > Thanks, >=20 > Lori=20
