debit
10-20-2008, 09:11 AM
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-1-26/37411.html
We may not be able to beat them at Soccor or have left wing revolutionaries or right wing death squads, but our national animal can kick the shit out of anything they have.
Canadian Beavers Invade Argentina
By Ileana Alescio
Epoch Times Argentina Staff
Jan 26, 2006
An invasion—that's how environmental scientists describe the proliferation of Canadian beavers in Argentina.
In 1946, ambitious breeders brought 25 pairs of Canadian beavers to the Argentinean province of Tierra del Fuego in hopes of spawning a fur industry in the area. Now both Argentina and Chile are suffering from an explosion of the dam-building Canadian icons. Far from their natural predators, the beavers have been able to reproduce without restraint, putting serious strain on the local ecosystem.
The animals, which are normally herbivores, have also taken to eating fish in South America, giving rise to a new generation of super-sized beavers building dams up to 100 meters-long.
Beaver dams and dykes cause floods that destroy the habitat of native species and cause standing trees to rot. Furthermore, the South American beavers are gnawing down old growth forests, where many trees are 250-years-old.
Government and scientific sources describe the beavers as a plague, but admit there is little they can do to control the situation. Current estimates suggest that the original 25 pairs now have as many as 200,000 descendants.
Experts in the Southern Centre of Scientific Research criticize local government efforts to address the problem. "There is neither continuous management of the fauna in general, nor of the exotic species, and the beavers in particular," said Professor Jorge Escobar of the Ecogenetic Laboratory.
Referring to government efforts to pay hunters for beaver tails, he added "the State may pay it, but in the long term I don't think it will work. It requires continuity and qualified people to face the problem seriously."
The former administration of the province had planned to pay hunters to eliminate between 7 and 10 thousand beavers per year, but with the change of the government, that plan is stalled. The province is now trying to implement a bi-national plan with Chile to gain financial support from the World Bank's World Environmental Fund.
Beaver Phenomenon
While environmentalists are upset with the damage the beavers are wreaking on the ecosystem, some locals have adopted the furry creatures as a part of their regional identity. The tourism industry offers excursions to the reservoirs made by the animals; craftsmen offer clothes and bags made with their fur; and many people use their meat to prepare various dishes.
The head of the Fauna and Natural Environment Department within Tierra del Fuego's Production Ministry, Adriana Guillén, has called for placing ecological conscience above tourism interest, adding, "it's really a disaster that foreigners come to see beavers; it's a shameful problem." She was also cautious about consuming beaver meat, explaining that "even though it's not officially determined whether it is dangerous or not, it's true that peasants and Chileans are already eating it."
We may not be able to beat them at Soccor or have left wing revolutionaries or right wing death squads, but our national animal can kick the shit out of anything they have.
Canadian Beavers Invade Argentina
By Ileana Alescio
Epoch Times Argentina Staff
Jan 26, 2006
An invasion—that's how environmental scientists describe the proliferation of Canadian beavers in Argentina.
In 1946, ambitious breeders brought 25 pairs of Canadian beavers to the Argentinean province of Tierra del Fuego in hopes of spawning a fur industry in the area. Now both Argentina and Chile are suffering from an explosion of the dam-building Canadian icons. Far from their natural predators, the beavers have been able to reproduce without restraint, putting serious strain on the local ecosystem.
The animals, which are normally herbivores, have also taken to eating fish in South America, giving rise to a new generation of super-sized beavers building dams up to 100 meters-long.
Beaver dams and dykes cause floods that destroy the habitat of native species and cause standing trees to rot. Furthermore, the South American beavers are gnawing down old growth forests, where many trees are 250-years-old.
Government and scientific sources describe the beavers as a plague, but admit there is little they can do to control the situation. Current estimates suggest that the original 25 pairs now have as many as 200,000 descendants.
Experts in the Southern Centre of Scientific Research criticize local government efforts to address the problem. "There is neither continuous management of the fauna in general, nor of the exotic species, and the beavers in particular," said Professor Jorge Escobar of the Ecogenetic Laboratory.
Referring to government efforts to pay hunters for beaver tails, he added "the State may pay it, but in the long term I don't think it will work. It requires continuity and qualified people to face the problem seriously."
The former administration of the province had planned to pay hunters to eliminate between 7 and 10 thousand beavers per year, but with the change of the government, that plan is stalled. The province is now trying to implement a bi-national plan with Chile to gain financial support from the World Bank's World Environmental Fund.
Beaver Phenomenon
While environmentalists are upset with the damage the beavers are wreaking on the ecosystem, some locals have adopted the furry creatures as a part of their regional identity. The tourism industry offers excursions to the reservoirs made by the animals; craftsmen offer clothes and bags made with their fur; and many people use their meat to prepare various dishes.
The head of the Fauna and Natural Environment Department within Tierra del Fuego's Production Ministry, Adriana Guillén, has called for placing ecological conscience above tourism interest, adding, "it's really a disaster that foreigners come to see beavers; it's a shameful problem." She was also cautious about consuming beaver meat, explaining that "even though it's not officially determined whether it is dangerous or not, it's true that peasants and Chileans are already eating it."