Man's best friend - First eradicate the Neanderthals, then biodiversity

Humans and their dogs drove our evolutionary cousins Neanderthals to extinction
"Early dogs, bred from wolves, played a critical role in the modern human’s takeover of Europe 40,000 years ago when we vanquished the Neanderthal locals. The Neanderthals, who had lived there for more than 200,000 years. However, within a few thousand years of our arrival, they disappeared...Humans and hunting dogs were, and still are, a deadly combination." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/01/hunting-with-wolves-humans-conquered-the-world-neanderthal-evolution

Man’s best friend may be nature’s worst enemy, study on pet dogs
“Many owners simply don’t realise the environmental damage dogs can cause, from disturbing wildlife to polluting ecosystems." >>
https://www.curtin.edu.au/news/media-release/mans-best-friend-may-be-natures-worst-enemy-study-on-pet-dogs-finds/

Bad dog? The environmental effects of owned dogs
"The sheer number of dogs contributes to global carbon emissions and land and fresh water use via the pet food industry. " >>
https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC24071

#dogs #dog #pets #HumanAnimalInteraction #carnivores #DogAttacks #penguins #koalas
#extinction #Biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #water #pollution #faeces #disturbance #zoonoses #PetIndustry #meat #ecosystems #climate #shorebirds #beach #ExtinctionCrisis #Neanderthals #BellingenShire #EcologicalDisturbance #IntroducedSpecies

@KorimakoEcology That's a great example! It's important to keep extreme, stressed habitats in reserves for the native species that need such places to thrive. A example I came across last month was the dwarf native broom, Carmichaelia corrugata. I was at a dry grassland reserve owned by Environment Canterbury, and we found it mostly along the 4-wheel drive vehicle tracks, where the grass was low.
#botany #grassland #EcologicalDisturbance #AotearoaNZ