According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, hunters kill about 1.5 million ducks and geese every year. Why is a the one time death of 2,000 ducks so noteworthy?
Guy
Posted by Jim Salge on December 15, 2006 at 4:07 PM
Interesting story.
Guy, I'm always intrigued by the scale and scope of many of the events that the media deems newsworthy, but I think until a reason was found, 2000 dead ducks in a single drainage would raise some eyebrows in the age of west nile/birdflu/insert random threat to mankind this week.
Everything gets eaten. It's the circle of life. The only thing wasted in death is the life experiences that individual being may have enjoyed otherwise.
Nature's way is to trade off one entity's longevity against anothers, some die to sustain anothers life; as you say this is the circle of life. Burning any resource shortens the time of this cycle considerably and negates considerable benefits to many organisms therefore aiding entropy.
Posted by Tom Webster on December 15, 2006 at 5:05 PM
Please, I did not post this link to start a hunting/antihunting discussion. I posted this as a topic of interest for our members. Let us not allow this topic to degenerate into a political discussion and have the moderators feel the need to remove the topic or move it to the "Hot Topics" forum. Thank you.
Posted by William Vrolyk on December 20, 2006 at 12:26 AM
So what are they doing now about the moldy grain? Did anyone clean it up? Is there more poisonous grain lying out there somewhere to destroy more waterfowl?
Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
Posted by Kent Staubus on December 20, 2006 at 12:54 AM
I've seen ducks killed in groups before but was unable to find the reason. I've also seen local populations weakened and eventually die from a protozoan infestation that looks like white worms in their muscles, including heart (sarcocystis.) During the Middle Ages in Europe there was a fungus that got into the rye that was called Ergot of Rye that caused an often fatal disease called St. Anthony's Fire. At least, if I'm remembering my medical history right.
Snow geese in particular are in HUGE numbers and hunting is a relatively efficient way to control them and curb their destruction of the Arctic. I don't hunt snow geese; they don't taste very good. I just take photos of their huge flocks.
Mallards are most under pressure by farmers and city developers draining wetlands. That's the real story. http://research.amnh.org/~rfr/hbp/images.html
Discussion
9 repliesMoldy grain killed ducks, scientists say
Guy
Guy, I'm always intrigued by the scale and scope of many of the events that the media deems newsworthy, but I think until a reason was found, 2000 dead ducks in a single drainage would raise some eyebrows in the age of west nile/birdflu/insert random threat to mankind this week.
Because this lot won't even have a chance of being eaten as they will be removed from the food chain and burnt - hence a resource wasted.
T
Guy
T
Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
Snow geese in particular are in HUGE numbers and hunting is a relatively efficient way to control them and curb their destruction of the Arctic. I don't hunt snow geese; they don't taste very good. I just take photos of their huge flocks.
Mallards are most under pressure by farmers and city developers draining wetlands. That's the real story. http://research.amnh.org/~rfr/hbp/images.html
Kent in SD