From: jsemrad@ems.cdc.com (Joe Semrad)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.animals
Subject: Re: Self Regulating Populations
Date: 28 Aug 92 22:22:41 GMT
Reply-To: jsemrad@ems.cdc.com
Organization: Empros Systems International, a division of CDC

In article <BtpJL5.46p@wpg.com>, russ@wpg.com (Russell Lawrence) writes:

[ Stuff about wolves isolating healthy deer on ice and crusted snow deleted ]

|> 
|> It seems to me that it takes a lot of courage for an animal to 
|> stand and kick rather than turn tail and run away.  Yet this same 
|> courage not to run away is regarded as a sign of stupidity among 
|> human hunters.  Why is it "courageous" for a deer to stay-put in 
|> confrontations with wolves, but "stupid" for a deer to stay-put 
|> in confrontations with humans?  
|> 

Projecting those human qualities on to the deer, eh Russell?  Is the deer
"stupid" or "courageous" if stays put in a confrontation with a wolf and
dies anyways?

The obvious 
answer to your question is that if the deer stays put for a human it might
get shot.  Of course, for any number of reasons, it may not.  If the deer
is shot at and missed, perhaps it will learn something for next time.  If
a deer stays put for a wolf it may die, or it may not.

Many animals have more than one defense they may use against a threat.
Some are more effective against one type of threat than another.  An
older deer will have, either by luck or by experience, have made the
right choices, up until it makes the wrong choice and dies.

Consider the ringneck pheasant.  It can run, sit tight or fly.  Against some
predators, foxes for example, flying is probably very effective.  On the
other hand, when confronted by a human hunter, or perhaps a predator capable
of flight like a hawk, flying is probably a bad choice, except as a last
resort.  It is no wonder that most of the pheasants taken each year by
hunters are taken early in the season, and they tend to be young of the year.
These young birds do not have the experience yet to know that flying in this
case is bad.  As the season progresses the remaining young birds pick up
this experience and thus they become more difficult to hunt.  Late season
pheasant hunting can be very frustrating, in part because the birds have
become much more educated about what to do when confronted by a hunter and
perhaps dogs as well. (Falling through weak ice into waist deep muck is 
another reason why its frustrating :-).

I'm not sure I'd really apply terms like "courageous" or "stupid" to this
behaviour, as the deer or pheasant doesn't understand these concepts.  They
are just making a choice about how to deal with the latest threat.
Sometimes they win, sometimes they loose.  In many ways, it's no different
for humans as well.

Joe
All opinions mine, etc.
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