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The reason those species over populate is directly a result of humans. It is a fact that as we hunt and kill certain species, and/or destroy their habitat, ie rainforests, etc, they reproduce at a quicker rate to try and combat the threat, often resulting in overpopulation. Left alone, nature is near perfect, in that the natural order and food chain and predator issues all take their roles and even things out. It's humans that mess it up.
A small example: My ex lives in a suburb of Massachusetts and always complains about the squirrels. He complains that they multiply like crazy and destroy bird feeders and the like, and constantly plots to somehow eradicate them. He doesn't understand how I could live in the woods of New Hampshire and not be overrun with squirrels. I try to explain to him: It's not that the squirrels are over producing; it's that the habitat in his area has been destroyed due to development, and that the predators of squirrels in that area are near obsolete. If it weren't for all the condo's and golf courses (humans), there would still be adequate predators to keep the squirrels controlled.
As far as the elephants you mentioned, there are two main causes for their overpopulation and both are caused by humans:
1. We cut off their natural migratory route and put them in reserves that cannot support their numbers, and as a result don't allow them to travel and be killed naturally
and
2. We constantly eradicate Anthrax in that area, which would otherwise naturally kill many. We immediately inoculate susceptible animals and burn any diseased ones, taking away the natural order of disease and death.
So again, humans are to blame for these problems.
The reason those species over populate is directly a result of humans. It is a fact that as we hunt and kill certain species, and/or destroy their habitat, ie rainforests, etc, they reproduce at a quicker rate to try and combat the threat, often resulting in overpopulation. Left alone, nature is near perfect, in that the natural order and food chain and predator issues all take their roles and even things out. It's humans that mess it up.
A small example: My ex lives in a suburb of Massachusetts and always complains about the squirrels. He complains that they multiply like crazy and destroy bird feeders and the like, and constantly plots to somehow eradicate them. He doesn't understand how I could live in the woods of New Hampshire and not be overrun with squirrels. I try to explain to him: It's not that the squirrels are over producing; it's that the habitat in his area has been destroyed due to development, and that the predators of squirrels in that area are near obsolete. If it weren't for all the condo's and golf courses (humans), there would still be adequate predators to keep the squirrels controlled.
As far as the elephants you mentioned, there are two main causes for their overpopulation and both are caused by humans:
1. We cut off their natural migratory route and put them in reserves that cannot support their numbers, and as a result don't allow them to travel and be killed naturally
and
2. We constantly eradicate Anthrax in that area, which would otherwise naturally kill many. We immediately inoculate susceptible animals and burn any diseased ones, taking away the natural order of disease and death.
So again, humans are to blame for these problems.
