OT: Pork the other white meat.......

[captskillet]

a friend of mine just sent me this one.........looks like this Gator is going to have some ribs, bacon, tenderloin etc. for supper (thats a wild hog in his mouth as you can see the tusks coming up from the lower jaw of the hog. This was taken somewhere in S Louisiana.

[Oliver Heindorf]

hmmm, being already in S Lousinana while seeing this.....I am happy to live in germany actually.

[RUPD3658]

Note to self: Never go to S. Lousiana[X(]

[Captain Ed]

Hmmm Chinese take out has a different meaning in Louisiana.

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Captain Ed

Hmmm Chinese take out has a different meaning in Louisiana.

[:D][:D]

[niceguy2005]

I think that gator is actually doing a happy dance. [X(]

[BrucePowers]

The gator is doing the ecosystem a favor. That hog can be very damaging to the environment. Sometimes we need to leave predators alone and let them do their thing. Really. (But I'm glad it's the hog and not me[:D]).

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Oliver Heindorf

hmmm, being already in S Lousinana while seeing this.....I am happy to live in germany actually.

The Guard sent me on an all expense paid vacation to S. Louisiana right after Rita. That scene was commonplace. I refused to get out of my HMMWV when I was "touring" the countryside.

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers
Sometimes we need to leave predators alone and let them do their thing. Really.

There were a couple female yuppie joggers in Florida recently that would argue your point I'm sure (at least I think they both got snatched in seperate attacks while they were jogging). That is if they were still around to argue with you. [:D]

Everything in moderation, I say cull them out once they grow large enough to pull me under without a problem. The only real reason to allow huge gators to co-habitate with us is for pure titillation factor and nothing else. They’re no longer endangered anymore, so why let the huge monster gators exist so close to humans anymore?

Jim

[Cap Mandrake]

That is one BIG gator [X(]

We are the only species who finds empathy for our potential predators. When lions and hyenas meet..they try to kill each other...just for fun.

In California, the wise voters passed a law outlawing the hunting of mountain lions. It worked...they are all over the place..and they are hungry. About 5 air miles from me, a lion attacked an adult male mountain biker, killed him, then ate his liver. He then ambushed a female biker and tried to drag her into the bushes by her head. She was rescued by two other bikers who grabbed her by the legs and played tug of war.

[BrucePowers]

ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers
Sometimes we need to leave predators alone and let them do their thing. Really.

There were a couple female yuppie joggers in Florida recently that would argue your point I'm sure (at least I think they both got snatched in seperate attacks while they were jogging). That is if they were still around to argue with you. [:D]

Everything in moderation, I say cull them out once they grow large enough to pull me under without a problem. The only real reason to allow huge gators to co-habitate with us is for pure titillation factor and nothing else. They’re no longer endangered anymore, so why let the huge monster gators exist so close to humans anymore?

Jim

I do not disagree at all, Jim. I said sometimes, not all the time. Gators do need to be culled. I was just pointing out that the hog was also disdructive to the environment.

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

ORIGINAL: BrucePowers
Sometimes we need to leave predators alone and let them do their thing. Really.

There were a couple female yuppie joggers in Florida recently that would argue your point I'm sure (at least I think they both got snatched in seperate attacks while they were jogging). That is if they were still around to argue with you. [:D]

Everything in moderation, I say cull them out once they grow large enough to pull me under without a problem. The only real reason to allow huge gators to co-habitate with us is for pure titillation factor and nothing else. They’re no longer endangered anymore, so why let the huge monster gators exist so close to humans anymore?

Jim

How about because they will cull the less fit humans (sickly, stupid, etc.) Nature works best when its somewhat intact.

Edit: as an avid backcounty person I respect predators and take steps to protect myself. Still, Jim, you are right in that moderation is a good policy. When any population becomes over abundant they cause problems, goes for predators and prey alike.

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: niceguy2005
How about because they will cull the less fit humans (sickly, stupid, etc.) Nature works best when its somewhat intact.

Edit: as an avid backcounty person I respect predators and take steps to protect myself. Still, Jim, you are right in that moderation is a good policy. When any population becomes over abundant they cause problems, goes for predators and prey alike.

If memory serves both young women were in their 20's, healthy and very fit I think, so culling our sick and stupid didn't quite work out in those two instances. They were just running along a jogging trail and got served up as lunch for the gators.

I'm not advocating the destruction of all large gators, just the ones who live near areas of heavy human habitation.

I too am an avid outdoorsman and spend many weeks out of the year up in the Sierra Mountains. I would not advocate killing predators like bears and mountain lions up there, but if they were to wander too close to towns in the foothills and could not be relocated then yes cull them out.

There is a serious gator problem in the US because the fanatical save-the-whale crowd over-sensitized the US to endangered species. But just like the underbrush overgrowth problem which destroyed millions upon millions of acres of forested land in the recent huge fires due to not allowing regular controlled burns, moderation with predators like gators is a good and needed control which we currently completely lack.

Australia is experiencing the same problem with their Crocodiles right now. And those bad boys are far worse than our gators. In the wild away from humans I say let them grow to be 30 feet if they can get that big, but near humans large predators are a serious threat that needs to be dealt with.

Jim

[Tomo]

 
This one is big too. This snake is eating sheep!
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20060906-00000391-reu-ent

[mlees]

I wonder if that snake experiences any discomfort trying to swallow such large prey.

[Bill Durrant]

ORIGINAL: mlees

I wonder if that snake experiences any discomfort trying to swallow such large prey.

I wanna know how it gets the top off the jar of mint sauce with no hands[&:]

[Terminus]

I think I'd be more comfortable not knowing...[X(]

[qgaliana]

ORIGINAL: Jim D Burns

ORIGINAL: niceguy2005
How about because they will cull the less fit humans (sickly, stupid, etc.) Nature works best when its somewhat intact.

If memory serves both young women were in their 20's, healthy and very fit I think, so culling our sick and stupid didn't quite work out in those two instances. They were just running along a jogging trail and got served up as lunch for the gators.

So we should let the big predators grow where the less fit hang out. Say gaming conventions? Internet cafes?[:'(]

Notes to self: Import unemployed Thai elephant to carry me on nature hikes from now on..