Hey Jimmie: I’m following the reintroduction of the wolves controversy. A friend of mine is a rancher on the Western Slope and is fit to be tied having lost two calves to these transplants. What do you think should be done to solve this problem?
— Mr. PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals)
Dear PETA: I can empathize with the ranchers seeing their livelihoods threatened by these wolves sneaking up to the all-you-can-eat buffet. The wolves should have been released in Boulder County Open Space. Once someone’s little pet became an appetizer, you can bet the reintroductionistas would howl. If we are going down this wildlife engineering path, I have several suggestions for species reintroductions and de-extinctions into Colorado.
Wolverines. The next reintroduction project on tap is wolverines. Not Hugh Jackman’s Marvel Comics character in need of a manicure, but the powerful and aggressive carnivore built low to the ground that feeds on carrion and medium-sized mammals and has been known to attack sheep, deer, elk and cattle. They shouldn’t be a threat to humans, except vertically challenged hikers.
Surely the technology exists to bring back extinct species a la “Jurassic Park” cloning and AI. These next species are extinct, but why not de-extinct them?
Rocky Mountain locust. Sure they were listed as one of the plagues in Exodus in the Bible, but weren’t they once a valuable member of the food chain before becoming extinct in 1902? Just think, de-extincting them would help take all the vegetation down to the nub, making it easier for the developers to plop more apartment hives down in the state and satisfying the water-use Nazis with Xeriscaping everywhere.
Saber-toothed cat. These large carnivores, with blade-like canine teeth that would make vampires envious, became extinct 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. They hunted large mammals, including humans. Bringing them back would provide a counter to an unchecked wolf population. Once domesticated they could be in high demand as pets for rapper wannabes interested in getting custom gold grillz on their canines.
Dodo bird. No, I’m not referring to a recent presidential candidate. It’s very silly-looking and has several weird traits: It can’t fly, retains juvenile characteristics and has no particular fear of humans as predators. If the dodo were to be brought back, it could be restored to climate-protected habitats since its native habitat was in tropical regions.
TeenRex. Several Tyrannosaurus rex fossils have been found in Colorado, and one “TeenRex” was discovered in North Dakota. Wouldn’t you dig seeing a TeenRex de-extincted a la Jurassic technology into Colorado? Seems like an appropriate release would be at the state Capitol with all wildlife engineering cheerleaders in attendance. I can see the TeenRex adapting quickly to wearing loose shorts and pants below its ample hindquarters and heads down on its large iPhone texting about how all the olds don’t have a clue. Of course, a female version would have to be created, so they could fondle away in public.
Constitutional Guided Statesperson. Time for a de-extincting of statespeople who focus on protecting the citizenry and infrastructure instead of social engineering projects and re-election. A cross between Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, or Indira Gandhi and Golda Meir would work. Might take a generation to change. Maybe synthetic people could be created with these characteristics using cloning and AI. The current batch of politicians should be fed to the wolves.
Jimmie St. Vrain claims to be Johnnie St. Vrain’s wiseguy brother. Kris Harris moved here in 1960 and is a product of Longmont Public Schools and the University of Northern Colorado. He believes sarcasm deserves to be taken seriously.
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