Culliing Grey Squirrels

External Since: Nov 12, 2006 Posts: 8

"BAC" <casswalk.RemoveThis@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1163499342.14287.0@damia.uk.clara.net...
>
> "Des Higgins" <dazzhiggins.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:KD76h.16001$j7.333724@news.indigo.ie...
>>
>> "BAC" <casswalk.RemoveThis@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:1163447151.23850.0@damia.uk.clara.net...
>> >
>> > "Des Higgins" <dazzhiggins.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> > news:45587d86$0$17733$ba620d2c@reader.news.heanet.ie...
>> >>
>> >> "BAC" <casswalk.RemoveThis@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote in message
>> >> news:1163424958.21542.0@proxy02.news.clara.net...
>> >> >
>> >> > "Des Higgins" <dazzhiggins.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> >> > news:4558514a$0$17737$ba620d2c@reader.news.heanet.ie...
>> >> >>
>> >> >> "BAC" <casswalk.RemoveThis@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote in message
>> >> >> news:1163347897.26791.0@damia.uk.clara.net...
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > "Des Higgins" <dazzhiggins.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> >> >> > news:WfD5h.15919$j7.333599@news.indigo.ie...
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> "BAC" <casswalk.RemoveThis@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote in message
>> >> >> >> news:1163246438.12003.0@damia.uk.clara.net...
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > "Alan Holmes" <alan.holmes.RemoveThis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
>> >> >> >> > news:SI55h.19312$r4.11567@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> > In article <1163015802.7617.1.RemoveThis@damia.uk.clara.net>,
>> >> >> >> >> > BAC <casswalk.RemoveThis@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote:
>> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> >> >> Can you please explain why you believe "we need to
>> >> >> >> >> >> preserve
>> > our
>> >> >> > native
>> >> >> >> >> >> wildlife"?
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >> Grey squirrels are NOT our native wildlife, they were
>> >> >> >> >> imported
>> > from
>> >> >> >> >> the
>> >> >> >> >> americas by some idiot who then released them into the wild.
>> >> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > I'm surprised at you, merrily crossposting like this.
>> >> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> > I'm well aware of the fact grey squirrels are a 'naturalised'
>> >> > species,
>> >> >> > as
>> >> >> >> > opposed to one which was indigenous here, thanks - my original
>> >> > question
>> >> >> >> > was
>> >> >> >> > aimed at finding out why the OP believed that there was a need
> to
>> >> >> > preserve
>> >> >> >> > 'native' wildlife.
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> Because if you do not, you lose
> species/races/sub-species/variants
>> >> >> >> that
>> >> >> > are
>> >> >> >> specific to where you live or which are endangered globally.
>> >> >> >> There is not much that is endemic to the UK but what is, is
>> > precious.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > But why is it 'precious'?
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Because it is impossible to replace genetic diversity once lost.
>> >> >>
>> >> >
>> >> > So it's genetic diversity which is 'precious'? Why is that?
>> >
>> > You haven't answered the main question I have been asking - why do you
>> > believe the genetic diversity of native wildlife to be 'precious'?
>> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Would the genetic diversity of naturalised phenotypes of originally
>> >> > 'alien'
>> >> > species be equally 'precious'?
>> >>
>> >> Squirrels are abundant here, there and everywhere; if you lost all the
> UK
>> >> ones, you lose a tiny amount of genetic diversity (they all originated
>> > from
>> >> a few releasees); you still have the bulk of their genetic diversity
> back
>> > in
>> >> the US.
>> >> If you lose native stuff, you lose more diversity;
>> >> if you lose endemic stuff, you lose it for good.
>> >> Grey squirrels are not precious in the UK, no matter what way you try
> to
>> >> twist it.
>> >>
>> >
>> > I'm not trying to twist anything, I'm just genuinely interested in
>> > people's
>> > reasoning for supposing that red squirrels and other 'native' species
> are
>> > 'precious', whilst grey squirrels and other naturalised species aren't.
> To
>> > date, no-one has come up with a convincing explanation other than that
> it
>> > is
>> > simply an arbitrary opinion or preference.
>> >
>>
>> If it comes to that then there is nothing precious; I gave you a
> definition
>> of "precious" that involved inability to replace stuff.
>> You merely chose to ignore that.
>>
>>
>
> No I didn't. I assumed that when you said native wildlife was precious
> "Because it is impossible to replace genetic diversity once lost", it was
> genetic diversity you really considered precious, so I followed up by
> asking
> why you thought it was precious, to try to understand the root of your
> opinion. I hadn't realised that your underlying belief was simply that
> anything, whatever it might be, which is irreplaceable, is "precious".
>

Well there you go;
live and learn eh?
Glad to have enlightened you.

Des

External Since: Jun 30, 2003 Posts: 61

"Des Higgins" <dazzhiggins.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4559ab5d$0$17733$ba620d2c@reader.news.heanet.ie...
>
> "BAC" <casswalk.TakeThisOut@NOSPAMdircon.co.uk> wrote in message
<SNIP>
> >> >
> >> > I'm not trying to twist anything, I'm just genuinely interested in
> >> > people's
> >> > reasoning for supposing that red squirrels and other 'native' species
> > are
> >> > 'precious', whilst grey squirrels and other naturalised species
aren't.
> > To
> >> > date, no-one has come up with a convincing explanation other than
that
> > it
> >> > is
> >> > simply an arbitrary opinion or preference.
> >> >
> >>
> >> If it comes to that then there is nothing precious; I gave you a
> > definition
> >> of "precious" that involved inability to replace stuff.
> >> You merely chose to ignore that.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > No I didn't. I assumed that when you said native wildlife was precious
> > "Because it is impossible to replace genetic diversity once lost", it
was
> > genetic diversity you really considered precious, so I followed up by
> > asking
> > why you thought it was precious, to try to understand the root of your
> > opinion. I hadn't realised that your underlying belief was simply that
> > anything, whatever it might be, which is irreplaceable, is "precious".
> >
>
> Well there you go;
> live and learn eh?
> Glad to have enlightened you.
>

Thanks for explaining your thinking on the subject. Seems like another one
for the 'arbitrary opinion' list.