Wildlife problems in Australia. One proposed solution; fill the place up with elephants and komodo dragons. huh??!!!

Wildlife problems in Australia. One proposed solution; fill the place up with elephants and komodo dragons. huh??!!!

Dragons & Elephants May Solve Australia's Environmental Problems, Scientist Says

....[one problem is that] elephants and rhinos won’t be restricted to eating just the flammable grasses; they’ll likely munch on native species, too. Additionally, they could have a negative impact on the local soil, or be reservoirs for diseases that don't currently have a foothold in Australia. "They'll most likely cause more harm than the intended benefits," Hoddle told LiveScience. [Devastating Infectious Diseases]

Hoddle is also concerned with the large amount of dung the animals will produce. "Australia already has huge problems with flies from droppings of non-native mammals," he said.

Steven Hess, a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, says that introducing Komodo dragons wouldn't be a good idea either. "Once you start adding more and more animals to the system, you are basically committed to ecosystem change," Hess told LiveScience. "You are ruling out the option of ever going back."

[link to news.yahoo.com]