I will share my story.
Praying mantis both Chinese species (not sure about the European species) are considered invasive here in PA (very heated topic people will immediately jump on your throat to say they are naturalized and cause no harm! Especially anyone in the agricultural and horticultural industry as they are used as biological control).
The first year I transformed my landscape into a native plant habitat I saw plenty of them and thought it was an exciting thing.
Then I saw those they perched on all the keystone plants and some non-keystone plants waiting and catching all kinds of skippers, bumbles and my only monarch butterfly that has found its way into my garden and had been laying eggs all over my swamp milkweed.
I did my research and learned they are considered invasive, and that some even kill hummingbirds (has been documented multiple times) and that we have our own native species that is threatened and is outcompetes by the invasive Chinese praying mantis.
So I set out to eliminate both the egg casings and any Chinese mantis in my garden. I could’ve thought the same thing that killing them in my garden wouldn’t really have any effect but after a whole year of doing that by that fall I started seeing the native mantis.
The following year (and subsequent years after) I had several of the native ones visiting my garden, I had several monarchs thriving and life abounded in my garden. Did it affect the population at large? Likely not but at least in my little property the effect was definitely evident.
Honestly, I think that if you can kill an invasive species humanely, you should do so. With that said, I’m not judging you for not doing it here, as I understand it’s not always an easy thing to do.
An interesting aspect of invasive pest management is that the people’s thoughts around it almost always centers on aesthetics. Here in Australia nobody bats an eye at killing a cane toad, everyone does it. But bring up fox management (or worse, feral cats!) and everyone loses their minds calling you a murderer. It’s an interesting phenomenon and I think it’s something we should be aware of when making decisions relating to pest management.
I think that is another reason why I hesitated to kill that trout; brook trout are very pretty, the one I caught included. I’d be curious if there was a name for this psychological effect, or if it just falls under “pretty priviledge” or something of the sort.
I’ll be the first one to say I appreciate coyotes for their dutiful service to cat removal, but surely you realize this isn’t a matter of “aesthetics”. People like those animals because they’re very intelligent, social, and can be kept as pets (with varying results). Comparing a fox to a cane toad this way is a little like saying, “People value human life over the lives of fish, which are also chordates, because humans are nicer to look at.”
I interpreted aesthetics to mean more than just that they are pretty to look at in this context, and in any case I think they are correct that for varying reasons humans prefer some species over others. There’s a reason that a panda is the mascot of the WWF and not another uglier but more important species is.
Well, sure, but I think the statement that people are more comfortable with killing toads than cats because cats are “pretty” is being deliberately obtuse.
@song_dog nature conservation does choose the ‘prettier’ one for their posters and appeals. The one people out there will recognise and value. Large, fluffy, with big eyes - all good. Some wispy grass as host for a little brown moth - hard to motivate.
I’m quite aware that “charismatic megafauna” rake in more money than moths. That said, I’m also frustrated by some conversation-minded folks pretending that killing, say, a horse, for example, is just like killing an ant.
well not common carp, as I think they are rather cute lol. But I do agree its a little odd to think that I probably would’ve killed the fish if it was a different species. I struggle to think of a fish that I would relish killing as an invasive, but your point is well taken; my attachment to brook trout is a significant factor why I decided to not kill that individual, and I probably need to let that go in the future.
How about koi in a detention basin? Should I try to eradicate those? I have visions of a beautiful pond ecosystem, but it is now a murky mess. Are the koi ruining it?
What you say is true, and perhaps I didn’t phrase my thoughts in the best way I could have. A better comparison might be the “prettier” orange (captive type) goldfish, as opposed to those that have gone back to wild type. In my personal experience, people will usually be far more comfortable with euthanizing those that have gone back to wild type (although of course you all might have different experiences!)
Of course there’s a big difference between more complex (and arguably more sentient) mammals and the likes of insects, both in terms of animal ethics and psychological reactions, and there’s not anything wrong with that. I was just trying to say that when making decisions around pest management, we should be aware and ask ourselves “Do I want to save this animal just because it’s pretty?”. I’m sorry that I didn’t make myself particularly clear on that point, I hope I didn’t offend anybody.
I don’t know, but the only other residents are bullfrogs and maybe a turtle or two. My father says there are snapping turtles there, too, but I’ve never seen them.
If the detention basin is completely sealed off from all bodies of water, maybe? I hesitate however as koi/carp species can be very destructive to local ecosystems. Even in such a small environment, it is almost certain there are aquatic species, maybe even endangered ones. Even if they aren’t fish, you may have local amphibian or insect species that are being predated upon by the koi. For now, I’d check to see what important local species are in your area that may be in the pond, and maybe dipnet as well.
Also now that I think about it, I’m unsure how truly sealed off the detention basin is. It’s possible it drains into a larger body of water? In which case the koi could definitely be a problem.