[pookha]

Plenty of ranches (privately owned) use livestock waste for farming and to improve the soil. You're arguing that we should allow wolves -- that the government introduces -- to wipe out the main component of their ranch (livestock). In my eyes that's an insane proposition and it directly benefits the big industrial operations that frequently compete with these newer styled ranches. In the end you'd have more run-off and more pollution and a lot more carbon because the soil would be shot (thanks to monocrop farming).

[tw04]

> to wipe out the main component of their ranch (livestock).

Wipe out??? Do you think they’re introducing 40k wolves or do you just have no idea how wolves work?

There is literally 0 chance the livestock is wiped out, even without any management by the government. And there will absolutely be management of the population.

[ffgjgf1]

> to wipe out the main component of their ranch (livestock). In my eyes that's an insane proposition

In my eye this claim you’re making is more than insane. Wolves are not going to wipe out anything. We can spend time coming up with totally unsubstantiated imaginary scenarios like this but it’s not really helpful.

Wolves are extremely skittish animals who are only really willing to come near humans when they are desperate and starving. A few guard dogs and/or other commonly used approaches are perfectly sufficient to deter them in 99%+ cases

[freedomben]

Yep, also the free range and organic ranchers are the ones who are hardest hit, which makes it more expensive.

This issue is just way more complicated and nuanced than most people want to make it. As an environmentalist I have a natural reaction against the ranchers, but having dove into many of these types of issues, I've been amazed at the complexity and second, third, and fourth order impacts and unintended consequences. Hot takes on HN are aggravating to read for someone who is actually informed on this and other issues.