Culling in the name of …

If you have even a passing interest in the natural world, you will have most likely heard the phrase “invasive species”. By definition, a deliberate or accidental release of a species to an area beyond its natural environment where it then multiplies and causes damage to that environment and the native wildlife that relies on it. I discussed the UK issue of invasive species briefly last year and in the context of Muntjac and Black Hairstreak butterfly too. Ecologist and conservationist Hugh Warwick tackles the issue in much more depth in his latest book – Cull of the Wild. Warwick is, as most of us are, not keen on killing in the name of and recognises that the arguments and issues regarding the culling of invasive species where they threaten the very existence of native species and ecosystems are still very complicated. In Cull of the Wild, he discusses how different approaches to control have been tried worldwide. The grey versus red squirrels, the cane toads in Australia, rats, even Pablo Escobar’s hippos and the Burmese python trade. Warwick, a former vegan and now a self-confessed meat-eschewing vague-an, points out that millions of animals are killed, or culled, every year in the name of conservation, invasive species, feral populations, domestic animals. Sadly, much of this killing is cruel and essentially unregulated. To quote from Warwick’s introduction: “We deserve an honest conversation about conservation. To do that we need to...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Biology Environment Science Source Type: blogs