[John Isbell]

I feel bad for the koalas. According to the article, this is not an inconvenience for them, it causes blindness and sometimes death. Hence the call for a massive cull, which seems desperate.

[Ann Drysdale]

One wonders whether Nature, in its wisdom, might not deal with the situation in its own way if left alone. Those who cannot live will die, those who survive will pass on the reason for their survival.

The human-generated alternative would be to catch and treat as many as possible and release the cured to regenerate the species.

The difficulty of carrying out the latter intervention in a wild population might make the former seem more sensible. Curing is so much costlier and more labour-intensive than killing.

Our infamous UK badger cull is a case in point.
.

[John Isbell]

Yes, and to kill them, presumably they'd have to catch and diagnose them first, at which point why not treat them instead? I assume chlamydia in koalas remains treatable after all. There's something weird about us in our infinite wisdom exterminating 80% of another species in order to save it. If there's a less invasive alternative, for lack of a better word, I'd go with that.
I'd not heard about the UK badger cull, but I see Wikipedia makes just this point: "Under the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, the culling of badgers is only permitted as part of a bTB reduction strategy if there is no satisfactory alternative."
Of course, Australia is not a signatory to a European wildlife convention.

[Jim Moonan]

Bill: "Jim, what's mind-boggling about the photo?"

It's Pence. Every time I see him I get that uneasy sense that "something's wrong with this picture". The headline sets you up for a vision of koalas in compromising positions. Of all the people in this crazy world that could have been in the photograph, Pence is last in line. But there he is, smiling benignly, looking every bit like the wool has been pulled over his eyes.
Mind-boggling may be the wrong description of the photo, though the world's condition is nothing short of it. (And, when I'm in a certain frame of mind, I would argue has been and always will be). Your word is the right one -- baffled.

My initial reaction was reflexive. I should fight through that tendency. But the world is at our fingertips and I find myself flinching in response to things more often than thinking.

Anyway, I am swimming in thought between Ann's #12 and John's #11 responses which are to me the more thoughtful way to respond. In fact, I/we don't even know if this story is 100% accurate. I suppose I could check it out, but why should I? Don't I have better things to do than participate in a conversation about the koalas' plight? Priorities, man! Woman!

But then who am I to think, let's say, for instance, my credit score is more important than the decimation of a species? It goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on

[John Isbell]

Here's a link to a longer BBC article which quotes pro- and anti-culling scientists:
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...have-chlamydia
It also mentions two other Australian species culls post-2000, of feral cats and of Tasmanian devils.

[Orwn Acra]

That's how I got chlamydia.

[John Whitworth]

The badger cull is farmer-led. Farmers kill anything they can get away with. And of course we subsidize the buggers.

There is nothing that you could call proof of course.

[William A. Baurle]

Originally Posted by Jim Moonan

Bill: "Jim, what's mind-boggling about the photo?"

It's Pence. Every time I see him I get that uneasy sense that "something's wrong with this picture". The headline sets you up for a vision of koalas in compromising positions. Of all the people in this crazy world that could have been in the photograph, Pence is last in line. But there he is, smiling benignly, looking every bit like the wool has been pulled over his eyes.
Mind-boggling may be the wrong description of the photo, though the world's condition is nothing short of it. (And, when I'm in a certain frame of mind, I would argue has been and always will be). Your word is the right one -- baffled.

I agree with you that the world is mind-boggling and baffling, but I'm not sure we would agree as to why or how, or what the solution is.

I don't see the mind-boggly-ness of the photograph, though I've tried to grok your POV. I really have. I've stared at the photo, and read the article, and all through this thread, but I am not connecting with you. All I see is the VP and his wife looking at a koala. The VP reminds me of Johnny Carson in that pic.

I also don't grasp what it is about the article that merits the OP's reaction, nor do I understand the reason behind making a thread out of it, nor do I think making jokes about it is a sensible response to the article, the photo, or the worry about the animals in question.

I understand the controversy, and I understand the ethical concern over this culling business. But I don't get the joke. I'm on the outside looking in.

Oh well, it happens.

[Jim Moonan]

Yeah, you're right Bill... Perhaps it's the perverse side of human nature to laugh at the alliterative misfortunes of species other than our own. When it happens to our species it's tragic.

Oddly, Quincy is silent. Quincy? Is this a succinct example of where the world is right now in your eyes?

[William A. Baurle]

Originally Posted by Jim Moonan

Yeah, you're right Bill... Perhaps it's the perverse side of human nature to laugh at the alliterative misfortunes of species other than our own. When it happens to our species it's tragic.

Oddly, Quincy is silent. Quincy? Is this a succinct example of where the world is right now in your eyes?

I really, truly, didn't want to start an argument here.

I do understand the need to laugh at tragic things. I do. I hate to be a curmudgeon. I'm not quite old enough for that role yet, and JW does it so well!



Peace and goodwill to all, from the lowly firefly up to the hairless apes that gape at koalas!

Edited in: There was a good line from a Woody Allen movie, spoken by Alan Alda:

"Comedy is tragedy, plus time."

Maybe what I'm saying is, not enough time has passed to laugh at this, quite yet? Does that make sense?