I really don't see how Mankind can be seen as a "vital cog" of the cosystem. Mankind is far more fo a natural diaster than anything else. Plus, time and time again, we've shown that every artificial human intervention in the natural ecosystem has been a catasrophe for local wildlife, such as the introduction of alien species into totally unsuitable ecosystems where they wreak havoc on the local indigenous fauna. 
 
As regards the shooting of bison and wolves in the US or the shooting of badgers in the UK, all these methods re "managing wildlife" are done for the benefit of humans not of the local ecosystem, really. Things work far better when one lets Nature take its course. For example, there has been some encouraging common sense in the UK re the notion of reintroducing wolves and bear back into the UK, among many others previously wiped out by humans "managing" the wild. Whereas before these were seen only as troublesome pests, they're now seen as absolutely vital in terms of controlling the runaway deer population, as amateur hunting has done nothing re combatting that other problem. That's why I'm rather in favour of (some of ) the tactics of the ALF, such as that time when they freed some domesticated wild boars from farms so that these could repopulate the UK in the numbers they did before they were wiped out centuries ago.
 
Geoff> Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 07:37:38 -0500> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Letter From New Scientist Magazine> To: [log in to unmask]> > > massive population> > reduction, which even in the most optimistic scenarios will take > > far longer> > to achieve than our lifetimes> > Ooh, I'm not a big fan of the word choices. Ending the lives of > millions of people would never be an "achievement."> > This is an interesting conversation. We're having a similar one over > on my Yellowstone list regarding bison. Animal rights activists are > understandably freaking out about slaughter of buffalo by state > agencies and the cattle industry in and around the Park. I asked a > question about the natural carrying capacity for bison in the > Yellowstone ecosystem while making the point that man is not a > spectator on this earth but is a vital cog.> > Jim> 
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