Scientists want lions to roam in N. America once more

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Elephants, lions to roam North America once more? Wed

Aug 17, 1:03 PM ET

 

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists are proposing

reintroducing large mammals such as elephants, lions,

cheetahs and wild horses to North America to replace

populations lost 13,000 years ago.

 

The scientists say that not only could large tracts of

North America act as breeding sanctuaries for species

of large wild animals under threat in Africa and Asia,

but that such ecological history parks could be major

tourist attractions.

 

" Africa and parts of Asia are now the only places

where megafauna are relatively intact, and the loss of

many of these species within this century seems

likely, " the team, led by Josh Donlan from New York's

Cornell University, said.

 

" Given this risk of further extinction, re-wilding of

North American sites carries global conservation

implications, " the team wrote in Wednesday's issue of

the science journal Nature.

 

It said large mammals were common across all

continents until the Late Pleistocene wipeout that hit

North America hardest and handed the world to smaller

species. The largest mammals in the United States

today are bison.

 

The Pleistocene epoch lasted from about 1.65 million

years ago to 10,000 years ago.

 

" Large carnivores and herbivores often play important

roles in the maintenance of biodiversity, and thus

many extinct mammals must have shaped the evolution of

the species we know today, " the scientists wrote.

 

They said the pronghorn antelope's remarkable turn of

speed must be due at least in part to the presence of

the now extinct predatory American cheetah alongside

it on North America's grasslands.

 

Reintroducing the modern relatives of the Late

Pleistocene losers to North America could spark fresh

interest in conservation, contribute to biodiversity

and begin to put right some of the wrongs caused by

human activities.

 

" Establishing Asian asses and Przewalski's horse in

North America might help prevent the extinction of

these endangered species and would restore equid

species to their evolutionary homeland, " the

scientists wrote.

 

They proposed a second phase that would include

reintroducing African cheetahs, lions and Asian and

African elephants to large private parks.

 

" Free-roaming, managed cheetahs in the southwestern

United States could save the fastest carnivore from

extinction, restore what must have been strong

interactions with pronghorn and facilitate ecotourism

as an alternative for ranchers.

 

" Managed elephant populations could similarly benefit

ranchers through grassland maintenance and

ecotourism, " they wrote, adding that reintroducing

lions would represent the pinnacle of the Pleistocene

re-wilding of North America.

 

They admitted the plan would be controversial but said

it was a far better option than simply accepting the

terminal decline of some of the world's most

impressive species due to human encroachment and

global warming.

 

" Pleistocene re-wilding is an optimistic alternative, "

they wrote. " The obstacles are substantial and the

risks are not trivial, but we can no longer accept a

hands-off approach to wilderness preservation. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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