Reply to Why do we need so many alligators and crocodiles in the world?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Shouldn’t we just cull most of them? Such dangerous species that don’t do much for the planet and are always a threat to humans. I’d like to reclaim some ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans too and not have to worry about getting eaten.

That and big snakes…like Burmese and reticulated pythons, which are now invading other places where they shouldn’t be. Hunt them all.[/quote]

https://www.brookfield.k12.oh.us/Downloads/Reinsel%20Go%20Green%20Day%202.pdf

Why Should We Care about Alligators?

Other people considered alligators to be useless and dangerous and
hunted them for sport or out of hatred. Between 1950 and 1960, hunters wiped
out 90% of the alligators in Louisiana, and by the 1960s, the alligator population
in the Florida Everglades also was near extinction.
People who say “So what?” are overlooking the alligator’s important
ecological role or niche in subtropical wetland ecosystems. Alligators dig deep
depressions, or gator holes, that collect fresh water during dry spells, serve as
refuges for aquatic life, and supply fresh water and food for many animals.
In addition, large alligator nesting mounds provide nesting and feeding
sites for herons and egrets. Alligators also eat large numbers of gar (a predatory
fish) and thus help maintain populations of game fish such as bass and bream.
As alligators move from gator holes to nesting mounds, they help keep
areas of open water free of invading vegetation. Without these ecosystem
services, freshwater ponds and shrubs and trees would fill in coastal wetlands in
the alligator’s habitat, and dozens of species would disappear.
Some ecologists classify the North American alligator as a keystone species
because of these important ecological roles in helping maintain the structure and
function of its natural ecosystems.

So there wouldn't be rivers and lakes to reclaim in those habitats. And you couldn't go fishing even if there were. 
[/quote]

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