Yes, Pleistocene rewilding should be implemented to one degree or another. At the very least, we should stop considering horses as "exotics" in North America, and start recognizing them as reintroduced natives.
Mustangs are not wild horse. They are the descendants of feral Spanish horses. They promote no benefit to the North American ecosystem, and in many ways harm the environment by overpopulation and destroying native plants. Mustangs should be removed from North America. Replacing the now extinct North American equids is a great idea, but feral Spanish horses are about as far away from North American equids as you can get. Instead of feral Mustangs, takhi horses, tarpans, zebras, and kiangs are actual wild animals, and aren't feral, and they are much more closely related to North American equids than feral horses are. The takhi horse could replace the extinct western horse, and the Mexican horse. The tarpan used to live in North America, and is know only found in Eurasia, but it could easily be reintroduced. The Grevy zebra could replace the North American Hagerman zebra. The kiang could replace the extinct American wild ass. There are plenty of species that could be used to rewind North America, and replace the now extinct North American equids, but the Mustang is not one of them.
They help maintain grassland by eating vegetation to keep it from growing into a forest, and the only reason why they over populate is because we driven out their predators or they're predators are extinct. Wolves would love to hunt Mustang, if American Lions were still alive they'd hunt them as well, if sabreteeth were alive they'd hunt them to.
If I ever travel to Hawaii, I will definitely have to visit the Makauwahi Cave Reserve on Kaua`i. It would be fascinating to see. This is a good talk, and I am putting it on my "Reviving Extinct & Endangered Life" TH-cam Playlist.
Yes, Pleistocene rewilding should be implemented to one degree or another. At the very least, we should stop considering horses as "exotics" in North America, and start recognizing them as reintroduced natives.
Mustangs are not wild horse. They are the descendants of feral Spanish horses. They promote no benefit to the North American ecosystem, and in many ways harm the environment by overpopulation and destroying native plants. Mustangs should be removed from North America.
Replacing the now extinct North American equids is a great idea, but feral Spanish horses are about as far away from North American equids as you can get. Instead of feral Mustangs, takhi horses, tarpans, zebras, and kiangs are actual wild animals, and aren't feral, and they are much more closely related to North American equids than feral horses are.
The takhi horse could replace the extinct western horse, and the Mexican horse. The tarpan used to live in North America, and is know only found in Eurasia, but it could easily be reintroduced. The Grevy zebra could replace the North American Hagerman zebra. The kiang could replace the extinct American wild ass. There are plenty of species that could be used to rewind North America, and replace the now extinct North American equids, but the Mustang is not one of them.
They help maintain grassland by eating vegetation to keep it from growing into a forest, and the only reason why they over populate is because we driven out their predators or they're predators are extinct. Wolves would love to hunt Mustang, if American Lions were still alive they'd hunt them as well, if sabreteeth were alive they'd hunt them to.
If I ever travel to Hawaii, I will definitely have to visit the Makauwahi Cave Reserve on Kaua`i. It would be fascinating to see. This is a good talk, and I am putting it on my "Reviving Extinct & Endangered Life" TH-cam Playlist.
Galápagos Islands definitely follow your "without exception" statement. Unfortunately but true.
So when will we see cheetahs out west?
When someone with enough land and money wants to.
Where can I find those images he used at 3:53 - 5:48
A use a rabbit in my backyard for the same purpose. :)
Hope is dangerous