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Comment by Schiendelman | Hacker News Reader

The concept of "building for wildlife" doesn't mean picking and choosing the cutest animals - it means trying to understand that balance and maintain it. The people who study ecosystems understand a lot of these second order effects well, and we're always learning more. The concept here is to start listening to those people.

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i live in an area with lots of deer. They don't shoot the cougars that come into town, they tranq them and relocate them. So there are no predators for the deer. What's the answer?

The cougars don't just eat the deer, they also change the behavior of the deer (as one would if they were constantly worried about killers hiding in the bushes). The only way to restore balance is to bring back the keystone species.

The only thing needed? People shouldn't interfere with nature so much. Let it all balance naturally and optimality by doing: nothing. No research needed, no plans, no guidance, just let the earth do it's thing and Paradise returns quickly.

That's a lot of Lyme disease, deer in your windshield and 10ft tall garden fencing whilst waiting for evolution to turn bobcats into deer eaters. I prefer to turn back the clock and just restore what was removed.

I know. I used to be able to walk right up to the deer when I moved here. I've chased them off the property enough times though now that as soon as they hear the front door, they run, and they actually go quicker through the yard then they used to.

shoot the deer

We're not allowed to on city limits, but it's the obvious answer. If you going to relocate the predators, relocate the prey too.

But, but, but... Bambi!1!!

How dare you?

The wildlife evolved to operate in an ecosystem with other wildlife that building alone makes impossible.

I don't buy into the idea that they can just 'balance' it without many of the species.

You can't tell deer to stop eating what they like, or raccoons to stop breeding / living in denser populations in suburban areas.

We're already messing up the balance massively by existing.

The point here is to reduce the harm we are already doing.

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