Homing magnetocrocs

[cleanbluesky]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7912006.stm

iPods on dolphins next, and elastic bands on great whites.

[Lomster]

lolwut?

[Tak]

I'm torn on this one. I can see from the article it is helping increase numbers of an endangered animal but at the same time, buggering up their sense of direction because we want to move into their natural habitat just doesn't seem right.

[Desmo]

I wonder if this works on homing pigeons?

[Garp]

That's kinda cruel. Survival of the fittest, if you're stupid enough to put yourself in the vicinity of crocodiles and can't travel fast enough to get away from them, tough.

[Pheebs]

How odd.

I'm presuming they take the magnets off them once they've been relocated? I don't know whether that would work or whether they'd be able to home back in on their previous location? Or whether their previous location would be reset to where they've been put?

*confused*

Seems cruel though IMO. People are the egits for moving in on their territory as Sam has said.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Pheebs

I'm presuming they take the magnets off them once they've been relocated? I don't know whether that would work or whether they'd be able to home back in on their previous location? Or whether their previous location would be reset to where they've been put?

I would assume not, because that wouldn't work. I expect they will fall off over time though.

Not sure about the cruelty aspect. We already attach all manner of devices to animals (usually for tracking purposes). This is different in that it's interfering rather than monitoring, but given the typical brain power of a croc, I'm not sure they'll care.

As for the territory issue, that only works if you're prepared to abandon an entire township. Crocs really don't care where they go or what they eat - ending up in a suburban street or someone's front lawn is no problem, and nomming on someone's pet dog is fine too.

[cleanbluesky]

Originally Posted by Mark

I would assume not, because that wouldn't work. I expect they will fall off over time though.

Not sure about the cruelty aspect. We already attach all manner of devices to animals (usually for tracking purposes). This is different in that it's interfering rather than monitoring, but given the typical brain power of a croc, I'm not sure they'll care.

As for the territory issue, that only works if you're prepared to abandon an entire township. Crocs really don't care where they go or what they eat - ending up in a suburban street or someone's front lawn is no problem, and nomming on someone's pet dog is fine too.

That's generally the question of whether we afford ourselves priority over other life and whether that priority extends to hampering their ability to survive.

I think I would stay the **** away from crocodiles if I lived there. It is, after all, survival of the fittest.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by cleanbluesky

I think I would stay the **** away from crocodiles if I lived there. It is, after all, survival of the fittest.

A very wise plan. They tend not to care for much except if it's edible, and it moves, eat it. Having been to both the Everglades and the Outback, I suspect I've been closer than I care to think about to one.

And yes, I like the thread title too. Sounds like something that might turn up in an X-Men comic.

[Wryel]

I wonder if they start singing 'She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes' like Bender does.