Here’s a map of cougar sightings in Ontario, but please note that (1) some folks couldn’t tell a cougar from a lynx (despite one being huge and the other being small, and having entirely different shapes), and (2) there are a lot of people in the south, but few people in the north, so one would expect more sightings in the south even if there were an even distribution of cougar.
Here is some info on counting cougar in Ontario:
I genuinely do not understand that an animal ‘has a right to exist’.
Rights are a social concept.
Next people will talk about Lupine Ethics or Earthworm Morals
I would guess that if tigers were introduced into Canuckistan, the very first thing that would happen would be a giant influx of ‘moose hunters’ from all over North America, coincidentally carrying the appropriate ammunition for ‘self-defence’ in case they find themsevels with a tiger “coming right at us”.
Similarly, I very seriously doubt that there would be any problems with hordes of tigers overrunning the continent. If they turn out to be a problem for the local ecosystem, simply cut back on the 24/7 antipoaching patrols that would be necessary to keep them alive, and they’d all end up on the floor of some mansion pronto.
Canada has a large Chinese population, and tiger bones etc are prized. 
I might be jumping in quite late in the game for this thread, but I’ve spent enough time in the wilderness of British Columbia to know that I would be terrified to venture into the deep bush if it was populated by Siberian tigers. Grizzly bears are bad enough, thanks.
I think the presence of Siberian tigers in the Canadian wilderness would completely change how that space is used by humans: Scientists, hikers/campers/backpackers, hunters, resource workers, residents, first nations, everyone.
I don’t think it would be a good idea.
You know, when I saw that this thread had been bumped, I was certain that it was to mention this.
I don’t think tigers would be restricted to very southern Canada. British Columbia has a vast climate and topography range and I bet that tigers could find a nice place to live in that regard.
Actually, there is a new thread on that topic and it, in fact, guided me to this one.
Everything I’ve heard about the average tiger says otherwise; it’s a few rare cases that turn “man killer.”
In my estimation, it’s a good thing when animals become extinct. And I say that because they live on a planet that they have to share with people. I figure when a whale spiecies, for example, goes extinct, that means that there’ll be fewer whales being harpooned for soap, and fewer whales to experience the horror of being caught in a 30-mile long gill net, or to suffer when an oil tanker breaks in half spewing out 400 million gallons of oil into their world.
Human beings, with their insane procreation is at the heart of what ails the world. Maybe we’ll get lucky and some disease will come along and deal with our screwed up species, until then we can only hope that one comes along and gets our herd down to a sensible size since we can’t seem to do it ourselves.
And yet you are still around to post. Funny that.
It seems easy to say others should be sacrificed for the greater good of ‘mother earth’, yet the advocates of such a solution aren’t willing to take the first steps to minimize their own impact by removing themselves at the earliest opportunity.
Oh, and my apologies to GuyNblueJeans if this was, in fact, his last posting. If so, you are a man of your word and should be emulated by others of your beliefs. Otherwise, well, I’m sure you can figure it out what word(s) best describe you.
Great now we outsource the consumption of Canadians. Will it ever stop.?
So anybody who advocates limits on human population should kill themselves to establish credibility? :dubious: Well, that’s one way to control the playing field on an argument. Don’t think it’s gonna wash, though.
Yes, yes why haven’t they been cloned yet? 'Twould make bird-watching, fishing, and hunting a much more nuanced experience.
No, he wasn’t advocating limits on the human population (which I agree with, btw), he was saying it would be good if a whole bunch of people were killed off involuntarily. I am waiting for him to put his money where his mouth is and volunteer.
The actual post you are referring to said “hundreds OR thousands” not “hundreds OF thousands”.
Wow, didn’t you ever read Jurassic Park. The males will start to mate with one another. Man cannot ever play God, or even Michael Crighton.
Henry Wu: I couldn’t get any complete tiger DNA, so I had to fake it with frogs. I didn’t think anyone would notice. (pause) What do you mean, “Ask a zoo”? They’ve been extinct for 65 million years!
Ian Malcolm* (shouted from next room)*: You silly sod!
–From the upcoming movie, Monty Python’s Jurassic Park
Well, crap! Curse my occasionally imperfect visual acuity!
Odd that XT didn’t correct me when he immidiately replied, though. Perhaps he wasn’t offended?
I was wondering about this myself and did a search and found this page. I think releasing Siberian Tigers into Canada’s norther Boreal Forest would be a great idea. If we leave them to fend for themselves in Russia, they will be extirpated in a decade. In Canada, they would find refuge, large tracts of wilderness to thrive in, with sufficient ungulate numbers to feed on.
Northern Canada’s ecosystem and climate is almost identical to northern Russia. They both share the Taiga, as well as the Tundra and Arctic.
A lot of fearful people on here claim that this “would put MILLIONS of rural Canadians’ lives in jeopardy”!!! That is absurd. Tiger introduction to Canada, even if successful would never produce enough numbers to pose any really threat to people. And even if they did, like another person mentioned on here, most Rural Canadians are armed and are used to living with bears, wolves, and cougars. Use common sense.
Realistically there would not be much human presence where the tigers would likely be introduced. I’m talking about Northern BC, Northern Alberta, Northern Saskatchewan, Northern Manitoba, Northern Quebec, and of course NWT and Yukon. Alaska has so much suitable potential habitat to offer, but you would have to get the Alaskans on board.
Some areas that come to my mind include Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta. Nahanni National Park and Preserve in NWT. BC’s northwest coast would be ideal. That’s even a temperate rainforest which they might like.
Start in one of those areas. Start small. Monitor the first few individuals. Track their movement, diet, interactions with wolves, bears, etc. Wolves and bears will very quickly learn to avoid them. They will not compete with wolves as there is more than enough ungulate meat for both. And bears will even benefit from leftovers that tigers bring down, as bears usually can’t bring down large game other than newborn calves or injured adults.
I think its a great idea and a way to save the species. We humans have placed tigers on the path to extinction in the very near future. This is the least we can do to offer them a fighting chance. Of course there will be local opposition. There usually is opposition to any form of change, even good change. But the nay sayers will eventually realize it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Call the IUCN, the UN, the WWF, so on and so forth. Get on the phones. Email the newspapers. Lets get this thing started.