Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Wisdom of the Solomons?


It has been reported (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/25/saltwater-crocodile-attacks-solomon-islands) that a major 'increase' in the numbers of attacks on people and domesticated animals by protected Saltwater crocodiles, may 'force' the Solomon islanders to kill some of these animals (as well as possibly exporting their skins to make leather goods). It is always difficult to comment on conservation of 'dangerous' animals, whether these are crocodile, Great white sharks or tigers. It is important to maintain the species in their natural ecosystems but humans invariably take attacks by these predators personally (in spite of the fact that the animal is generally doing what it is designed to do). It's especially difficult for people in the UK to preach to populations in other countries when we exterminated all our much less impressively dangerous carnivores 100's of years ago. Still, I do hope that 'salties' can be reasonably  protected on the islands.

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