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Here is one of the Joker cards for the Endangered Ark card deck. He's in your outback, eating your numbats.
Taking second place to feral house cats, the red fox is one of Australia's most problematic invasive predator. They were originally brought over in 1855 from Europe for the purpose of recreational hunting. Since then, their numbers have exploded, estimated around 7 million animals. They are responsible for the decline of many small marsupials, including the numbat. The fox is a very adaptable, elusive and prolific animal, and as such, is nearly impossible to contain or control. It continues to decimate populations of native species and there is no foreseeable solution.
Taking second place to feral house cats, the red fox is one of Australia's most problematic invasive predator. They were originally brought over in 1855 from Europe for the purpose of recreational hunting. Since then, their numbers have exploded, estimated around 7 million animals. They are responsible for the decline of many small marsupials, including the numbat. The fox is a very adaptable, elusive and prolific animal, and as such, is nearly impossible to contain or control. It continues to decimate populations of native species and there is no foreseeable solution.
Category Artwork (Traditional) / All
Species Vulpine (Other)
Size 582 x 789px
File Size 171.8 kB
for all of you that do not know what a furry fanboy is here is the stormpup explination :D :D basicalllllllyyyyy fanbois are these lowlife degenerate creatures that look at fursmut all day long and paw at there genitalia till they are covered in scabs and their hands are calloused they usually are fat slobs that live in their parents basements surrounded by pizza boxes with no aspirations in life and get into the furry fandom to try to fit in with our minority of furred people so they can try and make a name for themselvs and claim after 3 months to be a full fleged furry and seem to think they know everyyyyyything about the furry fandom they have sex at cons with any other creature they can dominate or if you are needing an explination in old english they are yellow-bellied offspring of a canker-ridden bunter scug-backed cheek-biter dung spattered tallow-faced rock-gnasher, and usually the mewling offspring of a greasy sow with pus for marrow and scum for brains
omg now i definitly feel better
omg now i definitly feel better
when you say humans, you also reference yourself because your generalizing, or is your dellusion of being a furry so great that you actually think your special. Also here is an intresting bit of information, when many people in our species classifies themselves as a creature, they say human, but at the same time, seperate themselves from all other species as if they were so great they classify all their own. and yet in truth we classify as a virus, because of our main nature, to consume, then move to a new fresh area leaving our previous "infestation" filled with our wastes and trash. We say we will change our ways, but how close are we to accomplishing our goals. Horrid Unified Mammilian Arrogant Mortals. How does that explain the idea of being H.U.M.A.N. . We call ourselves human, yet we do not belong on this planet anymore because we defile and destroy the wonderous planet so many call home. We mess with nature attempting to play the part of a being of such great power, yet at the same time we cause more pain and greif than we anticipate. So now the real question is...
What Is being Human truly mean?
What Is being Human truly mean?
1. I'm not a furry.
2. I'm able to see past my own humanity to see our species is overpopulated and making a mess of itself.
3. Ooooh wow, you should take a gander at my Youtube page, I made a nice little speech about just how much like an infection the human species is. I'm doing my part by not breeding and encouraging others not to.
4. something tells me you like to talk a lot.
2. I'm able to see past my own humanity to see our species is overpopulated and making a mess of itself.
3. Ooooh wow, you should take a gander at my Youtube page, I made a nice little speech about just how much like an infection the human species is. I'm doing my part by not breeding and encouraging others not to.
4. something tells me you like to talk a lot.
probably cause of this general demeanor:
The Fox:
Patience, wisdom, intelligence, adaptability. Fox people can be high strung or exceedingly calm, charismatic or mysterious, prone to stand out or blend in, keep peace or make mischief. They tend to be partially rooted in the spirit world, living day to day in sort of a ‘world between’. Foxes are a strong symbol of femininity, shape-shifting, illusion, and magic.
*shrugs*
The Fox:
Patience, wisdom, intelligence, adaptability. Fox people can be high strung or exceedingly calm, charismatic or mysterious, prone to stand out or blend in, keep peace or make mischief. They tend to be partially rooted in the spirit world, living day to day in sort of a ‘world between’. Foxes are a strong symbol of femininity, shape-shifting, illusion, and magic.
*shrugs*
well foxes are patient, how else would they be very successful in their hunts, they are incredibly smart and vicious creatures, and it's true their adaptable. i mean considering they live all over the planet, it's crazy. they are more or less like exceedingly hyperactive children too. i mean not just the wild ones or just the tame owned ones. they are very unpredictable creatures overall, but predictable enough that you can expect them to do unpredictable things. odd way of putting it, yes.
cats are alot meaner in my opinion... but at the same time that's why people get confused easily with telling if a fox is canine or feline (they ARE canine... buuuut) cause foxes seem like a mix between the two ^^
an alot of cats aren't adaptable depending on the breed, an i've met alot of some damn retarded cats in my life XDDD
but regardless, it could be in some cases
an alot of cats aren't adaptable depending on the breed, an i've met alot of some damn retarded cats in my life XDDD
but regardless, it could be in some cases
I mind as well expand on this. Okay, cat's are so called 'retarded' to humans simply because cats do not wish to be trained, they don't like being told what to do. If a very intelligent kid was in school, but simply didn't want to work, would they be called 'retarded'? Of course they would, especially if he was mute. Just because they don't always follow what some human tells them to do, like dogs, doesn't mean they're retarded. Hell, some cats DO obey what humans want them to do, even to a higher extent than a canine could. Having an ability to choose what they want to do or what they do not want to do, does not make them less intelligent than foxes, or what have you.
As with adaptable? Psh, they are one of the most invasive animals in Australia, if I'm not mistaken. Evolution works on them, too.
As with adaptable? Psh, they are one of the most invasive animals in Australia, if I'm not mistaken. Evolution works on them, too.
you're taking this a little far an a little personally. ok when i said retarded, let me explain. retarded= spazzing out and running into a wall. that's retarded. ^___^
the cat will be sitting there chillin, then suddenly flips the frick out and does things that makes NO sense. an it's not just one cat... most cats i've come in contact with have been like that, as far as i know for a human that would be either called ADHD, sugared up... or retarded XD
an it's not evolution that is working right now since they haven't really changed much in the last couple hundred years, it's their ability to eat their own crap an survive (not literally of course)... i guess that IS pretty adaptable, though i wouldn't wanna do it.
but if you take a bunch of long hairs and stick them in some extremely hot and humid place they aren't suddenly going to become bald cats, they are going to die. same as short haired or bald cats living in extremely cold climates.
it's only if they survive the harsh extremities do slight changes occur. that was what i meant by adaptability. but meh. i'm not a huge cat fan, i mean they're fun an cute an all, but i dun care to discuss cats further XDDDD
the cat will be sitting there chillin, then suddenly flips the frick out and does things that makes NO sense. an it's not just one cat... most cats i've come in contact with have been like that, as far as i know for a human that would be either called ADHD, sugared up... or retarded XD
an it's not evolution that is working right now since they haven't really changed much in the last couple hundred years, it's their ability to eat their own crap an survive (not literally of course)... i guess that IS pretty adaptable, though i wouldn't wanna do it.
but if you take a bunch of long hairs and stick them in some extremely hot and humid place they aren't suddenly going to become bald cats, they are going to die. same as short haired or bald cats living in extremely cold climates.
it's only if they survive the harsh extremities do slight changes occur. that was what i meant by adaptability. but meh. i'm not a huge cat fan, i mean they're fun an cute an all, but i dun care to discuss cats further XDDDD
Spazzing out and running into a wall, huh? Again in all my years of having cats, nothing like that has ever happened. I think you're just talking about some stupid youtube videos. My cat is as calm as can be, he's right beside me purring like a motor boat. I won't disagree with the ADD thing, because I know cats are like that, they can't keep their attention on one thing for very long if they see something strange or interesting somewhere else.
Eating their own shit? Sounds more like dogs, again, I see them do it all the time, sometimes when it's fresh from the source.
Plus, I'm being generous with the whole range of cats when I say adaptable. A medium haired cat could survive in either arid or cold climates I'm sure. Not changed much? Is that a joke? They're changing all the time with each litter they produce, notice how a lot of sibling kittens turn out looking completely different than each other depending on the parents? That's changing, evolution my friend. It's foxes that haven't changed very much, but that's because they're wild, they can't afford to evolve so rapidly as domestic animals.
Eating their own shit? Sounds more like dogs, again, I see them do it all the time, sometimes when it's fresh from the source.
Plus, I'm being generous with the whole range of cats when I say adaptable. A medium haired cat could survive in either arid or cold climates I'm sure. Not changed much? Is that a joke? They're changing all the time with each litter they produce, notice how a lot of sibling kittens turn out looking completely different than each other depending on the parents? That's changing, evolution my friend. It's foxes that haven't changed very much, but that's because they're wild, they can't afford to evolve so rapidly as domestic animals.
By Europe, do you mean the English? It's just i can't see the French or Italians bringing a Fox to Australia, i can see the Brits doing that tho. So we gave Australia criminals and Foxes, my god we rule! lol
I got three foxes in my garden. Foxes are so cute XD
http://gallery.badboybunny.com/inde.....lbum&id=11
Great piece and good title to!
I got three foxes in my garden. Foxes are so cute XD
http://gallery.badboybunny.com/inde.....lbum&id=11
Great piece and good title to!
Except that'll achieve precisely nothing.
I've been studying foxes in detail for 17 years, and I can honestly say that killing them won't do much to alter the fox population - all you do is persuade the survivors to produce more cubs, which in turn will put more pressure on the other creatures lower down the food chain - like numbats, in this case.
And that's without going into the moral argument. Have you ever heard a fox scream when it finds the dead body of its mate?
The only logical - and humane - answer is to produce a non-harmful "vaccination" (for want of a better term) that will leave them infertile. Of course, the same would need to be done to other invasive species (like rodents) at the same time, or you'd be setting off a population time bomb...
I've been studying foxes in detail for 17 years, and I can honestly say that killing them won't do much to alter the fox population - all you do is persuade the survivors to produce more cubs, which in turn will put more pressure on the other creatures lower down the food chain - like numbats, in this case.
And that's without going into the moral argument. Have you ever heard a fox scream when it finds the dead body of its mate?
The only logical - and humane - answer is to produce a non-harmful "vaccination" (for want of a better term) that will leave them infertile. Of course, the same would need to be done to other invasive species (like rodents) at the same time, or you'd be setting off a population time bomb...
yes Ive heard animals scream after finding their mates dead, or when an animal itself dies, Its definately not something I want to hear and not something I want the animal to go thru. If you decide to hunt something, remove and use the body.
The thing with overpopulation is that animals are territorial and after a while they will start fighting each other for resources, and land to live in. I think hunting them WOULD achieve something, it worked for other species of animals, (look at what happened to the North American wolves and buffalos) and foxes arent intelligent enough to notice the popluation dropping drastically and thinking "hey we need to make more babies all year round to make up for the loss", but a more effective way would probably be to capture and release them somewhere else if you dont want them dead (including another continent if you must). or like you said make some of the population infertile.
Anyway, something's gotta be done if you dont want another species to go extinct, as much as I love foxes.
The thing with overpopulation is that animals are territorial and after a while they will start fighting each other for resources, and land to live in. I think hunting them WOULD achieve something, it worked for other species of animals, (look at what happened to the North American wolves and buffalos) and foxes arent intelligent enough to notice the popluation dropping drastically and thinking "hey we need to make more babies all year round to make up for the loss", but a more effective way would probably be to capture and release them somewhere else if you dont want them dead (including another continent if you must). or like you said make some of the population infertile.
Anyway, something's gotta be done if you dont want another species to go extinct, as much as I love foxes.
Wolves and buffalos are *very* different animals compared to foxes...
It's been proven here in Britain: in areas where food is plentiful and the fox population low, they produce *more* cubs in a single litter to compensate. (They can't breed all year round - the vixens can't biologically manage it, and even the tame ones can't successfully produce even two litters a year!) However, if the population density is higher, they produce fewer cubs per litter.
(Red foxes can have litters of up to 12 - and their arctic fox cousins can even manage 20!!)
If you kill 60-70% of the fox population a year (that's roughly the percentage that die by one means or another here), the population will still remain static, thanks to an increased number of cubs per litter. This means they'd simply be killed for killings sake - and that's what's so morally repulsive about the idea. It would be little more than a wanton bloodbath, with nothing achieved - and could possibly even make the situation worse.
(Here in Britain, the rat and rabbit populations are spiralling out of control - and it doesn't help that their main predators are forever being targetted...)
Besides, the Australian authorities have already *tried* that - and it failed. The foxes' own evolutionary traits have ensured that it's extremely difficult to wipe them out in this way. Hence why they were (last time I heard!) looking into the "vaccination" option. I don't want the numbats to become extinct, either - or any of Australia's indigenous species, for that matter - but this is still the only viable way to reduce/eliminate the fox population.
It's been proven here in Britain: in areas where food is plentiful and the fox population low, they produce *more* cubs in a single litter to compensate. (They can't breed all year round - the vixens can't biologically manage it, and even the tame ones can't successfully produce even two litters a year!) However, if the population density is higher, they produce fewer cubs per litter.
(Red foxes can have litters of up to 12 - and their arctic fox cousins can even manage 20!!)
If you kill 60-70% of the fox population a year (that's roughly the percentage that die by one means or another here), the population will still remain static, thanks to an increased number of cubs per litter. This means they'd simply be killed for killings sake - and that's what's so morally repulsive about the idea. It would be little more than a wanton bloodbath, with nothing achieved - and could possibly even make the situation worse.
(Here in Britain, the rat and rabbit populations are spiralling out of control - and it doesn't help that their main predators are forever being targetted...)
Besides, the Australian authorities have already *tried* that - and it failed. The foxes' own evolutionary traits have ensured that it's extremely difficult to wipe them out in this way. Hence why they were (last time I heard!) looking into the "vaccination" option. I don't want the numbats to become extinct, either - or any of Australia's indigenous species, for that matter - but this is still the only viable way to reduce/eliminate the fox population.
1) Goverments have regulations on those type of things, thats why there are hunting limits on animals. Population estimates are made and hunting regulations based off of them. It's not a "bloodbath" and its not meaningless. Its an effective way to control overpopulation of a species.
2) The type of animal isnt the matter here, its the population. They arent intelligent enough to *know* they're populations are decreasing. Buffalos, wolves, Nutria, foxes..it doesnt matter. If you hunt enough animals the population will decline. Wolves had to be reintroduced in North America to get their population up again
3)"fixing" the foxes with a vaccination would be immensely expensive.
Im sorry foxes are being targeted in your area and your rabbits are out of control, but we're talking about australia. You obviously love foxes which is why you are argueing against my point of hunting them. Im sorry you feel like shit because foxes are being killed, but not everybody can be happy. The foxes are a problem so they have to be taken care of. Its not just the fact that the foxes are reproducing, its the fact that they are destroying other populations of species. You can make them infertile but they still have to eat.
OR heres another option, lets release all the fox furries out in australia and let them fuck the fox population into oblideration.
Im done arguing, this is the internet, if someone thinks their right then there's no way in hell they're wrong.
2) The type of animal isnt the matter here, its the population. They arent intelligent enough to *know* they're populations are decreasing. Buffalos, wolves, Nutria, foxes..it doesnt matter. If you hunt enough animals the population will decline. Wolves had to be reintroduced in North America to get their population up again
3)"fixing" the foxes with a vaccination would be immensely expensive.
Im sorry foxes are being targeted in your area and your rabbits are out of control, but we're talking about australia. You obviously love foxes which is why you are argueing against my point of hunting them. Im sorry you feel like shit because foxes are being killed, but not everybody can be happy. The foxes are a problem so they have to be taken care of. Its not just the fact that the foxes are reproducing, its the fact that they are destroying other populations of species. You can make them infertile but they still have to eat.
OR heres another option, lets release all the fox furries out in australia and let them fuck the fox population into oblideration.
Im done arguing, this is the internet, if someone thinks their right then there's no way in hell they're wrong.
Actually, I think he was arguing against the idea of fox hunting because it doesn't actually work. All the fox hunting here in Britain did nothing to control the population, it just caused them to "drift" from the countryside into towns and cities, where they arguably cause even more problems.
Some animals (particularly foxes) do produce more offspring if their territory is large (ie. there aren't many others around).
Using wolves as an example is completely irrelevant, since wolf hunting practises are different, wolves tend to live much further apart and so have a lower population density anyway... And on top of that, wolves do not behave in the same manner with regard to "naturally" producing more offspring in low population areas.
When your native species are at severe risk and you actually care about them, money is no object.
At least learn about a subject before you rant about it.
Some animals (particularly foxes) do produce more offspring if their territory is large (ie. there aren't many others around).
Using wolves as an example is completely irrelevant, since wolf hunting practises are different, wolves tend to live much further apart and so have a lower population density anyway... And on top of that, wolves do not behave in the same manner with regard to "naturally" producing more offspring in low population areas.
When your native species are at severe risk and you actually care about them, money is no object.
At least learn about a subject before you rant about it.
Thank you, AydinTygrr, that was the precise point I was trying to put across.
And as I listed earlier, I've been studying foxes - especially red foxes - for 17 years now. Yes, I've grown somewhat attached to them over the years (I've handled four). But I realistically know what they're like better than most as a result. I've also learned the one most important thing about them, which anyone who does get really close to them does:-
Never, ever, underestimate them.
The "vaccine" option is the only realistic way of removing foxes from Australia, and could do so within four or five years of it being released. (Still got to worry about the alien rodents at the same time, though!) Hunting could not possibly hope to achieve that. Even with an 80% elimination rate, it would still take decades to reduce the population - and the consequences to the native wildlife would be catastrauphic.
And as I listed earlier, I've been studying foxes - especially red foxes - for 17 years now. Yes, I've grown somewhat attached to them over the years (I've handled four). But I realistically know what they're like better than most as a result. I've also learned the one most important thing about them, which anyone who does get really close to them does:-
Never, ever, underestimate them.
The "vaccine" option is the only realistic way of removing foxes from Australia, and could do so within four or five years of it being released. (Still got to worry about the alien rodents at the same time, though!) Hunting could not possibly hope to achieve that. Even with an 80% elimination rate, it would still take decades to reduce the population - and the consequences to the native wildlife would be catastrauphic.
I think I know enough about this subject to argue it. But like I said before Im not going to fight with a bunch of people on the internet about a subject they so passionately defend and are set on themselves being right about. I dont care anymore, I *like* to argue unlike some other people.
regardless of that this is an amazing piece of artwork. The detail is excellent and flawless.
regardless of that this is an amazing piece of artwork. The detail is excellent and flawless.
Well, technically, after 10 decimations, you'd still be left with about 45% of the population, since each decimation is only 10% of the NEW total.. Ehe.. But yeah.. I really doubt he meant 'reduce by 1/10th' when he used the term decimate, even with the 'continue to' part in there.. :P
Don't get me wrong. I love Bloth's work. Ehe. I just get kinda tired of seeing people say 'decimate' when they really meant 'demolish' or 'destroy' or 'devestate' or something like that.. Decimation isn't exactly all that threatening of a term, especially when it comes to extincting species.. We've well over decimated the number of species on the planet in the past 15-20 years and many species are decimated every year that people would never really even give a second thought to.
Don't get me wrong. I love Bloth's work. Ehe. I just get kinda tired of seeing people say 'decimate' when they really meant 'demolish' or 'destroy' or 'devestate' or something like that.. Decimation isn't exactly all that threatening of a term, especially when it comes to extincting species.. We've well over decimated the number of species on the planet in the past 15-20 years and many species are decimated every year that people would never really even give a second thought to.
as cute as they are, foxes and feral cats have no place in the outback, and as much as I adore both, I do support the effort to exterminate them, as unfortunate as it is that animals have to be destroyed, its a matter of preserving the wilderness and that sometimes means wiping out animals, no matter how beautiful they are, that are not native to that ecosystem, as they are just as bad for causing native animals to go extinct as the humans, This is the price of our mistake, these gorgeous animals have to be exterminated as though they were a rat infestation because of our greed, the foxes were brought here so that early settlers may continue the practice of fox hunting, rabbits were introduced to hunt as well, pigs were brought over as livestock, which is all and well, but its the fact that some of those pigs got loose and went feral is the real problem, they eat native animals, root up native plants, and erode the soil with their hoves, they brought over goats, which again trample the ground into dust and cause erosion, they eat native plants down to the roots which in turns kills them, they drive native animals out of their home ranges, they brought over rats, which I can admit, no one intended to bring them, they smuggled themselves over in the holds of ships, Anyways, I do love the detail on this piece.
I agree and thats what Ive been trying to tell 
smalford74 . They are adorable, cute, attractive and beautiful, but they have no place there. I think he's just sore at the idea of extermination because he likes foxes...
Either way, the easiest and most economically reasonable way to decline a population is to kill them, unfortunately. It's a shame, but it has to be done.
I think if we were talking about rats or something a lot of people would be okay with the idea of extermination, but because foxes are so down right adorable its harder to think of them as a pest, which they are in Australia and people dont want to kill them.
smalford74 . They are adorable, cute, attractive and beautiful, but they have no place there. I think he's just sore at the idea of extermination because he likes foxes...Either way, the easiest and most economically reasonable way to decline a population is to kill them, unfortunately. It's a shame, but it has to be done.
I think if we were talking about rats or something a lot of people would be okay with the idea of extermination, but because foxes are so down right adorable its harder to think of them as a pest, which they are in Australia and people dont want to kill them.
Sore? No. But I've got 17 years of research behind me, and I know what they're capable of better than most.
The point I was trying to make is that hunting simply doesn't work. If it did, why haven't they tried it already - given that it's the simplest option?
The answer is they did - and just like the results here in Britain, it didn't work.
I accept that foxes need to be removed from Australia - but aside from the "vaccine" option, nothing else is viable. When it's ready and released, it could eradicate foxes within four or five years. My best estimates (using a detailed computer model) show that by hunting, some 80% of the population would need to be killed every year, which would still take 20-30 years to achieve the same thing - but there would be no numbats by then, either, and many of the other small marsupials would be gone.
In the end, it depends on what you want to do. To kill foxes, or to eradicate them completely. One will save the numbat and the other native animals of Australia, and one won't.
The point I was trying to make is that hunting simply doesn't work. If it did, why haven't they tried it already - given that it's the simplest option?
The answer is they did - and just like the results here in Britain, it didn't work.
I accept that foxes need to be removed from Australia - but aside from the "vaccine" option, nothing else is viable. When it's ready and released, it could eradicate foxes within four or five years. My best estimates (using a detailed computer model) show that by hunting, some 80% of the population would need to be killed every year, which would still take 20-30 years to achieve the same thing - but there would be no numbats by then, either, and many of the other small marsupials would be gone.
In the end, it depends on what you want to do. To kill foxes, or to eradicate them completely. One will save the numbat and the other native animals of Australia, and one won't.
That makes sense.
Anyway, I really reeeaaaallllyyyy dont like to argue, cause drama or fight. If you say you've been studying them for 17 years then you obviously have the knowledge and experience-although I dont get it...I wont fight against it. It just sucks trying to give a point (especially on the internet) and some people get cocky and trolly (Im not talking about you) and then other people jump on top of you like "HAHA YOU HAD A TYPO IM GOING TO POINT IT OUT CUZ THAT MAKES ME LOOK SMART!" DUR!"
well, I hope this problem gets resolved before they become too explosive in numbers, some people said reintroducing the dingo would be effective. Maybe that combined with an infertility vaccination would help control the loss of other native species.
Anyway, I really reeeaaaallllyyyy dont like to argue, cause drama or fight. If you say you've been studying them for 17 years then you obviously have the knowledge and experience-although I dont get it...I wont fight against it. It just sucks trying to give a point (especially on the internet) and some people get cocky and trolly (Im not talking about you) and then other people jump on top of you like "HAHA YOU HAD A TYPO IM GOING TO POINT IT OUT CUZ THAT MAKES ME LOOK SMART!" DUR!"
well, I hope this problem gets resolved before they become too explosive in numbers, some people said reintroducing the dingo would be effective. Maybe that combined with an infertility vaccination would help control the loss of other native species.
Fair enough - I don't really like to argue, either!
Like you, I'm only trying to suggest a solution to a problem that should never have occurred in the first place! After all, they're European red foxes, and should never have been released onto Australian soil!
I think you're right, too: it's going to take a combination of factors. The infertilisation vaccine and the reintroduction of the dingo will be part of it. Then they've just got the other invasive species (mice, feral cats, etc.) to consider - although ideally, they'll deal with them at the same time...
Like you, I'm only trying to suggest a solution to a problem that should never have occurred in the first place! After all, they're European red foxes, and should never have been released onto Australian soil!
I think you're right, too: it's going to take a combination of factors. The infertilisation vaccine and the reintroduction of the dingo will be part of it. Then they've just got the other invasive species (mice, feral cats, etc.) to consider - although ideally, they'll deal with them at the same time...
I think it's kind of semi-natural. Invasive species usurp new habitats, displace the native species and change entire ecosystems all the time. Humans, besides being such a species themselves, seem to catalyse this process.
No matter the circumstances: In the end it's the most adaptable species that survives.
No matter the circumstances: In the end it's the most adaptable species that survives.
The traditional model of Darwinist natural selection is not contingent on invasive species. It's a process that occurs over millions of years, giving time to the other species that are interrelated in this process a chance to adapt.
Humans do catalyze this process, but in a way that is far from natural.
Here's another example: bioengineering. Nobody predicted that pollen from bioengineered corn would be harmful to monarch butterflies. It is, and because butterflies are big pollinators, this sets off numerous chain reactions (all with unfortunate consequences). http://www.cnn.com/NATURE/9905/20/b.....erfly.killers/
Humans do catalyze this process, but in a way that is far from natural.
Here's another example: bioengineering. Nobody predicted that pollen from bioengineered corn would be harmful to monarch butterflies. It is, and because butterflies are big pollinators, this sets off numerous chain reactions (all with unfortunate consequences). http://www.cnn.com/NATURE/9905/20/b.....erfly.killers/
Everybody's gotta eat. Do you disprove of foxes eating rabbits/numbats/whatever the local prey may be? It's the circle of life and the way of a carnivore.
Besides, the topic at hand was the Australian red fox's destructive effects on the native prey population. The only way to curb that is to lower the fox population, to which it was merely a suggestion.
I don't like that x number of trophy hunts for lions are approved in African countries, but I understand why: revenues for those nations. I don't like that lions are poisoned when they get into cattle, but I understand why: people can't live to lose such resources, can't wait on the governments to react (usually with less than satisfactory compensation if at all), and so forth. It's cheap, efficient, and even uplifting to the farmer that the pest animal has been dealt with.
I don't like that prey animals will eat baby lions if they find 'em, but tough luck, that's just the way the world works. Tasty little lion cubs :D
Besides, the topic at hand was the Australian red fox's destructive effects on the native prey population. The only way to curb that is to lower the fox population, to which it was merely a suggestion.
I don't like that x number of trophy hunts for lions are approved in African countries, but I understand why: revenues for those nations. I don't like that lions are poisoned when they get into cattle, but I understand why: people can't live to lose such resources, can't wait on the governments to react (usually with less than satisfactory compensation if at all), and so forth. It's cheap, efficient, and even uplifting to the farmer that the pest animal has been dealt with.
I don't like that prey animals will eat baby lions if they find 'em, but tough luck, that's just the way the world works. Tasty little lion cubs :D
... what kind of hunters do they have in Australia?
Here in America, we have like.. a hundred of any one particular predatory species left on the entire continent. And all it took was a few million rednecks with guns trying to "keep them varmints away from thar chickens!"
I'm exaggerating, of course.. SOME of our predatory species aren't TECHNICALLY endangered at the moment, but they're all still scarce enough that I've never seen one that wasn't roadkill or in a zoo.
Here in America, we have like.. a hundred of any one particular predatory species left on the entire continent. And all it took was a few million rednecks with guns trying to "keep them varmints away from thar chickens!"
I'm exaggerating, of course.. SOME of our predatory species aren't TECHNICALLY endangered at the moment, but they're all still scarce enough that I've never seen one that wasn't roadkill or in a zoo.
The thylacoleo maybe, but the marsupial wolf probably wouldn't. If they were outcompeted by dingoes, and in fact they actually had a skull more similar to that of a fox, and occupied a niche similar to that of a fox, what were the possibilities foxes wouldn't win to them as well?
Thylacoleo no question, it was several hundred pounds and could take down things the size of cars. It died off due to human arrival, changing landscape, and extinction of the large prey animals it depended on. A thylacine was more powerful than a dingo, had a bite over twice as strong, and would win in a single conflict, but it was too specialized in feeding, and outcompeted for several reasons, including dingo's superior adaptability, more diverse menu, and more importantly human arrival, which made it extinct in the end in Tasmania as well. Compared to a fox however, a thylacine would be more than a match.
A more likely candidate: Tasmanian devils. Tasmanian devils destroy foxes and their dens on site, and are the main reason they can't get a foothold in Tasmania. But with the facial tumor disease there killing most of them off, foxes are starting to appear. If the ferocious little devils were bred en masse and re-introduced to mainland Australia somehow, it could help quite a lot. If they can manage to get enough of them that is.
A more likely candidate: Tasmanian devils. Tasmanian devils destroy foxes and their dens on site, and are the main reason they can't get a foothold in Tasmania. But with the facial tumor disease there killing most of them off, foxes are starting to appear. If the ferocious little devils were bred en masse and re-introduced to mainland Australia somehow, it could help quite a lot. If they can manage to get enough of them that is.
It's true, but people wants moneys, just enough money and they will be wiped off the earth.
Of course if there are not enough natural predator we will be swarmed by rodents, natives or not.
Maybe it's better leave mother nature clean the mess by wiping the humans out of the planet. YAY!
Of course if there are not enough natural predator we will be swarmed by rodents, natives or not.
Maybe it's better leave mother nature clean the mess by wiping the humans out of the planet. YAY!
I know my post is just one of the many, but I whole-heartedly love this piece.
I live in Australia and have loved foxes since I was very young. Even though I love them so much, and really enjoy seeing them, I wish they had never been brought here.
People here normally hate foxes with a passion because of them killing the wildlife, but I've always said that you can't blame the foxes, they didn't choose to come here.
It was the humans' fault for bringing the foxes in, and the rabbits to feed the foxes, which are now also a major problem in Australia.
I live in Australia and have loved foxes since I was very young. Even though I love them so much, and really enjoy seeing them, I wish they had never been brought here.
People here normally hate foxes with a passion because of them killing the wildlife, but I've always said that you can't blame the foxes, they didn't choose to come here.
It was the humans' fault for bringing the foxes in, and the rabbits to feed the foxes, which are now also a major problem in Australia.
I think it's more that the foxes that were introduced into Australia are causing a lot of trouble and really need to be removed, or at least better controlled.
The problem there being that most people think the best way is killing them... And that doesn't work, they just breed more to "compensate". They can't be killed fast enough to control the population, so doing so is really just unwarranted cruelty.
Better ways are being developed, such as vaccines for mass-sterilisation.
Going from a heart attack after breeding too much is a much more foxy way to go, ne?
The problem there being that most people think the best way is killing them... And that doesn't work, they just breed more to "compensate". They can't be killed fast enough to control the population, so doing so is really just unwarranted cruelty.
Better ways are being developed, such as vaccines for mass-sterilisation.
Going from a heart attack after breeding too much is a much more foxy way to go, ne?
Oh dear your art brings lots of blar blar blar who could ever read so much cr... Sadly The Australian Commonwealth Government care about sheep, wheat & mineral export not environment so little natives have little hope as it be.
E.g the last of pure blood dingos are on Fraser island getting wiped out so people who know little about Australia can drink booze and act like clowns, And the government supports killing them off as ferals why refusing to acknowledge that study's show they are a native wolf.
Irwin family have been fighting smiler battles about crocodiles... Only if nature could take a world 'Class action' against human neglect.
E.g the last of pure blood dingos are on Fraser island getting wiped out so people who know little about Australia can drink booze and act like clowns, And the government supports killing them off as ferals why refusing to acknowledge that study's show they are a native wolf.
Irwin family have been fighting smiler battles about crocodiles... Only if nature could take a world 'Class action' against human neglect.
heh.. come to think of it.. i have never ever seen a numbat... probly cause they dont reside in my area.... but havent seen one at a native zoo either?
Come to think of it, i've only ever seen an echidna twice until yesterday, found it while going for my run! I was sad i didnt have a camera with me>.> But meh... i still love foxys....
Come to think of it, i've only ever seen an echidna twice until yesterday, found it while going for my run! I was sad i didnt have a camera with me>.> But meh... i still love foxys....
I was in a good mood until you brought this up. DAMN YOU BLOTCH!!! XD
No but seriously, foxes don't deserve to die. I've seen foxes die in fur factories. My uncle works in them. Sometimes they beat the fox alive with sticks and electricute them up the...yeah. Painful memories that scarred me for life. I never spoke to my uncle or forgave him for doing such things.
No but seriously, foxes don't deserve to die. I've seen foxes die in fur factories. My uncle works in them. Sometimes they beat the fox alive with sticks and electricute them up the...yeah. Painful memories that scarred me for life. I never spoke to my uncle or forgave him for doing such things.
The fox, along with some other species, is destroying the unique ecology of Australia. My love for one species, cannot outweigh my love of nature in general.
The fox needs to be removed from Australia, and it is a better solution to let nature remove them than to go out with gas canisters and gassing vast areas.
The fox needs to be removed from Australia, and it is a better solution to let nature remove them than to go out with gas canisters and gassing vast areas.
Animals move, so what if it is continental drift, ice floes or ships and boats? If we want to move around this world animals are gonna move with us and then they'll compete and someone is gonna go get hurt. Does anyone cry over south american marsupials that almost all went extinct about... 3 million years ago when north and central america connected to it via panama?
Other animals filled niches properly. There's nothing to say nature won't correct things over time, but for now it's gonna fuck shit up something fierce. It wouldn't be nearly so bad with these cats, foxes, rabbits, and pigs if they were at least on a continent where their environmental niches already were filled. Then they'd just either compete or replace. Instead, there's nothing to pick up the slack and they're messing up the whole system the country's gotten going after its last man-made mass extinctions. You know, that one that turned it from a tropical region covered in rain forests into a giant freaking desert~
Interesting thing to think about... Before invasive species, Australia's ecosystem was completely destroyed and the continent's terrain reshaped by humans in the form of the Aboriginals, when they systematically burned the country to the ground destroying its great rainforests and wiping out countless megafauna and megaflora. Australia as it is, is virtually nothing like the land humans first came across~
But yeah, invasive species are a real problem and it's kind of disgusting how little people think of it when they're fuzzy, while we've got so many people flipping out in Florida over invasive reptiles that aren't actually harming the ecosystem, just potentially outcompeting and replacing other reptiles that already fill their niche. I mean, not that that isn't bad in itself? But cats and cows cause more damage, and it doesn't just fix itself in their cases.
But yeah, invasive species are a real problem and it's kind of disgusting how little people think of it when they're fuzzy, while we've got so many people flipping out in Florida over invasive reptiles that aren't actually harming the ecosystem, just potentially outcompeting and replacing other reptiles that already fill their niche. I mean, not that that isn't bad in itself? But cats and cows cause more damage, and it doesn't just fix itself in their cases.
How about a novel idea here?
Get our own house in order before we can start dictating the populations of the other species.
After all, we do more damage to the Earth than the rest of the animal species combined, and our own numbers are continuing to spiral out of control.
Surely, then, it would have made more sense to make the second joker of this pack a human?
Get our own house in order before we can start dictating the populations of the other species.
After all, we do more damage to the Earth than the rest of the animal species combined, and our own numbers are continuing to spiral out of control.
Surely, then, it would have made more sense to make the second joker of this pack a human?
I am aware that your print sale is over. And I really don't know if you intend on selling this. But do you have any prints available of it, or the original (if I dare ask how much you would sell it for xD) It's just such a true portrait of what's going on.
It has been suggested, than allowing dingoes to repopulate areas which they have now been excluded from, would aid in lowering densities of foxes and feral cats, which is a very intriguing thought.
In any case, you probably already know this, but beautiful piece. Really stunning. The numbat is illustrated to perfection.
It has been suggested, than allowing dingoes to repopulate areas which they have now been excluded from, would aid in lowering densities of foxes and feral cats, which is a very intriguing thought.
In any case, you probably already know this, but beautiful piece. Really stunning. The numbat is illustrated to perfection.
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