Never mind the monkeys in Thailand, India and other places in the world. What about the monkey's that are in Florida? They are an invasive species but their population is growing. The state should put a bounty on them. They should all be euthanized in whatever manner is most effective. I imagine a .22 pistol or varmint rifle would be sufficient to begin the job.
How many times does it need to be said: please don’t feed the animals.
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Yes-- the quarantine has got to stop -- corona virus or not... and we have to get back to normal but not until the Dow hits 16,000 . Oh I forget, we can't have Medicare 4 all but we can prop up the stock market anytime the price os X number of stocks falls beneath what 20 P/E.. Owning stock makes one special!! (I hope you recognize this as serious sarcasm).. Older person and person with immunological problems do die... (And yes I have a 103.4 year old cousin.. who is exceedingly frail... don't know about 104 under the best of circumstances. will miss her and her knowledge of family history. Get it while you can! Ask all the questions you can.
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Watching the video of the mad rush for whatever was thrown into the gathering of macaques of Lopburi felt like foreshadowing of how humans might be behaving if we don't get around to addressing climate change.
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While biking to work in Central Park two days ago I had the distinct feeling that pigeons were keeping an unusually close eye on me. Fewer people than normal are around and that means less discarded food and offered bread crumbs. Sure, the birds will be alright. So will the squirrels . But what about the restaurant mice and other unwholesome vermin? With their food sources shuttered it's only a matter of hours before they start looking for nutrition next door. And upstairs. Gotta go, someone just knocked on my refrigerator door
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This illustrates that wild animals should not be fed human food and kept in human dominated environments. Populations of these animals is likely too high based on native food sources, hence the dependence on humans for foo - non of which is actually good for the animals involved.
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Many farmers and others feed deer in the winter to prevent their starving to death. This article gives both pros and cons:
https://novascotia.ca/natr/wildlife/conserva/Feed-deer.asp
The monkeys need to be fed, since I imagine most or all were born in the city and have no idea how to get food otherwise. Same with the deer in Japan. It is humane.
(Just don't locate feeding stations near peoples' homes or businesses or where predators can easily attack them.)
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In an era where leadership espouses division based or race, culture and religion, the universe responded, "I still have the power to bring you together." Sadly.
Covid 19's reach seems endless. The time has come to espouse life balance and respect. Animals and all.
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The problem in Nara is that the deer population has grown to its current level because of the tourists feeding them in the park, which is part of the attraction. There may not be enough food for them without tourists participating.
Expert urban ecologists from the United States might want to actually know a few more specifics about something before giving a quote to the Times so they can impress their friends.
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Here on Staten Island we have deer eating our yards on a regular basis and wild turkeys surrounding SI University Hospital North. The turkeys are periodically rounded up and shipped upstate and the deer, I believe, are given some form of birth control implant by the city. The deer have on occasion gone crashing into stores; the turkeys are real traffic hazards. And I have never seen anyone feed either animal.
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"Although these deer are protected under Japanese law, they face myriad dangers when they roam outside of the park, including being struck by cars or dying from ingesting plastic bags."
In other words, they are deer. Don't feed wild animals.
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Feeding wild animals such as these monkeys and deer is ALWAYS a very bad idea.
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That's literally the least of my problems.
11
@Ryan Bingham So what's in your backpack?
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@Ryan Bingham Not everything that is reported has to be relevant to your life - nor commented on. This is in the "Science" section of the NYT, but you can go to the "Ryan's Problems" section if you find it uninteresting.
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I hope these animals can go make to their natural ways of eating and get a healthier diet.
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