The Myth of Scientific Wildlife Management: How Predators Are Mismanaged to Death

[2naSalit]

There doesn't seem to be a wildlife or public lands sort of forum and this is less about science than it is about wildlife and public lands so I'm posting this here.

The Myth of Scientific Wildlife Management: How Predators Are Mismanaged to Death

https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2026/04/23/the-myth-of-scientific-wildlife-management-how-predators-are-mismanaged-to-death/
(long article, much more at link)

by David Stalling – From the Wild Side April 23, 2026

The way wolves are being managed in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho isn’t just controversial — it’s a case study in how politics can overwhelm science when it’s inconvenient.

Grizzly bears are next.

What’s happening to these animals is often framed as “management,” but that word loses its meaning when the underlying decisions are driven less by ecological evidence and more by pressure from entrenched hunting and agricultural interests and outdated narratives.

--- Big leap edit ---

And once again, it will be framed as science. It’s not.

But science doesn’t support dismantling complex predator societies in ways that destabilize ecosystems. Science doesn’t support ignoring the cascading effects of removing apex predators. Science doesn’t support policies rooted in mythologies that date back centuries.

What’s at stake here is bigger than wolves or even grizzlies. It’s about whether wildlife policy is going to be guided by evidence and ecological understanding, or by fear, tradition, and political convenience. It’s about whether public lands and the animals on them are truly managed for the public good, or for a narrow set of interests.

---Not the end of article---

https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2026/04/23/the-myth-of-scientific-wildlife-management-how-predators-are-mismanaged-to-death/


(This is a long but well written article that describes, in detail, what has been going on for the last 30+ years and what's coming and why it matters. The whole way of thinking about this has been loosely correct, at best, but managed for the sentiment of myth and uninformed traditions rather than what is truly best for the species under protections. - 2na)

[Botany]

1. After years of being gone the bobcat has now returned to Ohio and the first thing the dumb ass red necks ....

…. wanted to know was when can we shoot them?

[2naSalit]

3. That's always been...

Part of the dialogue, the don't seem to care about why an animal is important to an ecosystem that also supports their existence.

[malaise]

4. THIS

We suck as a species

[littlemissmartypants]

11. One of the highlights of my life was having the joy and privilege of seeing one of them.

I drove through a protected area every day on my way to and from work and there was at least one that lived there and would sit at the edge of the forest. I would always drive through the area slowly and watch in the evening for a glimpse. Magnificent creatures! They're incredibly beautiful.

[2naSalit]

14. Beautiful Capture!

I have not seen them but I used to see tracks around my cabin some mornings. I first noticed the tracks when I discovered that the ant hill at the base of a pine tree behind my car was messed up. When I investigated I saw a pile of cat poop, to big for any house cat, carefully covered up by the sand from the anthill. The width of the paw was about 3.5 inches wide, clear draw marks in the sand. I was stoked, the tree was about five feet from the head of my bed inside the cabin.

Also had a fox who peed on the edge of my porch most nights too. One of the things I loved about life in the mountains.

[Botany]

15. I have spent a lot of time outside and I have

Last edited Fri Apr 24, 2026, 07:44 AM - Edit history (1)

only seen 3. Every time it was a quick flash as they ran across the road in front of me.
I have heard them calling a bunch of times and seen their footprints too. Unless they are
killing your chickens.... a big dog helps.. why anybody would want to shoot one for fun is
beyond me.

[malaise]

2. Humans are seriously effed up

Dominion over all things is just human arrogance

[2naSalit]

5. I spent...

A couple decades tryna 'splain that to people. It gets so old. Humans need to pay attention to their surroundings* because they are changing fast and there comes a point of no return. If we aren't there yet,, it won't be long.

*And not just on the weekends. It is a matter of survival.

[malaise]

7. For way too many humans all that matter are

power and wealth

[chowder66]

6. K&R!!!!

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

[multigraincracker]

9. If science can't come up with a way to

regulate the human population, rats and flies might survive.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. I usually post these issues in Environment and Energy. I don't know if that's helpful.

But I want you to know that I understand the conundrum.

Thanks so much for sharing this, 2na. ❤️

[2naSalit]

12. I usually do...

Too but this seems to not really fit in that category. Maybe we can petition for a new category since this is somewhat exclusive of the E&E forum.

I'm glad that people are looking at it.

[MerryBlooms]

13. r&k humans are exhausting in every way

Our home backs to a greenway. The turkeys returned here couple years ago, and people are complaining they are aggressive. Want them "thinned". 😢