Comments on: Leopards Eat Feral Dogs, Limiting Rabies

By: Tyvor Winn

Tyvor Winn — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 20:16:21 +0000

Li D, I should think the cats might help with the snake problem in Australia, what with all snakes there being venomous.

By: Li D

Li D — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 05:01:12 +0000

In reply to Tyvor Winn.

Yeah. True.

Turning things upside down, heres an idea to use dogs to help with the horrific cat problem.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/dingoes-as-pest-control/4570856

At least there isnt the rabies dimension ( yet! ).

By: Tyvor Winn

Tyvor Winn — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 03:23:48 +0000

Re Li D: “Christ it seems an obs[c]ure useless tangent to consider at first glance.”

That’s the thing. It is often only possible to say something is useless after it has been studied and often only possible to get on the right track after following a number of wrong tracks.

By: Li D

Li D — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 00:14:28 +0000

In reply to Li D.

I reckon i should clarify that species interaction is of paramount import to study as a subject. Especially in this time of massive upheaval and decimation.
I wonder, did any entomologist feel to approach some Mao government officials suggesting that rooting all the birds might have undesirable effects and perhaps maybe do some field trials first.
Vaguely remember some research into an important relationship between migrating fish and trees and some variety of nitrogen and one needs to be carefull when mucking about with trees or fish or things will go pearshaped.
Perhaps if leopards went extinct a tipping point in rabies would be breached and things would get very much worse.
Dunno.
Christ it seems an obsure useless tangent to consider at first glance.

By: Li D

Li D — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 23:43:13 +0000

Thanks for reply to my gripe Tyvor Winn.
I appreciate that passion for a subject or field is an important driver. ( hopefully not a driver that results in bias! )
The world is a better place because of people like Charlie Veron and his passion for coral, for example.
There just seems to be a sort of futility about this paper.
Termites are a massive problem for dwellings and some forms of agriculture.
Gorrillas eat termites.
Soooo lets do some research on how gorrillas might alleviate that issue!
Whats a bit odd is that i wouldnt give a shit about someone studying leopards. Or dogs.
Or rabies. All valid topics.
Its the intersection of interest that dosnt seem valid, or at least reasonable.

By: Tyvor Winn

Tyvor Winn — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 19:33:57 +0000

Li D,

One thing about research scientists is that as a population they do gravitate to what is funded one way or another but basically they do research on subjects in which they are interested and even when they are chasing funding, they will try to shift their research so that they can continue research on the topics they love to investigate.

They are kind of like musicians and other artists in that.

By: Li D

Li D — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 06:18:29 +0000

In reply to Li D.

A distant memory.
At about aged 10 or so, I asked my father something like ” How come these scientists are always looking at little unimportant fruitflies?
And he laughed and explained a bit about agriculture.
So again, i could be well off the mark.
I just see well done scientific research as a really powerful tool.
And those that have the tools sometimes squander them.
Maybe theres a surfeit of researchers and not enough subjects.

By: Li D

Li D — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 05:53:59 +0000

” … its worth investigating “.
Not sure about that.
I mean, just cuz its possible to investigate, as it seems to have been, dosnt mean its particularly a good use of scientific resources.
Sure, sit around a table and discuss natural predators as a potential remediative mechanism. Bacteria causing disease more than likely. And vultures. And leopards. And probably dogs themselves, fighting.
But jeez, what a fucking obscure tangent to gather data on in the face of 1. Extremly high chance of wild leopard control for wild dogs not being rolled out in the suburbs of the world, for reasons as obvious as telling a wild from a feral leopard in a trap! And 2. The high likelyhood of there being much more realistic alternative methods of wild dog control. Very Very high actually.

Couldnt these mob do something slightly more useful with their education?
Its waaaay better than researching less detectable land mine technology, or arsehole nukes, though.
Its a veeery slightly positive increase in knowledge.

I could be off the mark here and its utterly commendable and imperative research.
It sure superficially dosnt seem like it.