Online comments

From “ASUA presidential hopefuls talk big issues” (by Ethan McSweeney, March 2)

Sometimes it seems that the [ASUA] candidates fall back on “representing what the students think” just so they can remain impartial without any real opinions…
—Kacy

From “Lion and the lamb: Saving Catalina sheep means losing lions” (by Brittany Rudolph, March 3)

An anthropocentric (human-centered) world view is the real problem here. Game and Fish works to manage animals for hunting and human purposes, rather than to protect habitats and the natural world. To conduct this experiment is simply mad science, in denial of the obvious cruelty to animals and the fallacy that humans can control nature. There is no justification for killing lions, and even less for stealing wild animals from the deserts in Western Arizona and dumping them outside of Tucson to be impacted like this. The writer failed to research the many opposing view to this program, and the numerous biologists that have condemned the decision to put bighorns in poor habitats.
—Dwight Metzger

Sadly, not all of the facts are reported in this article, just the ones that Game and Fish “scientists” proffer as justification for “management” of mountain lions, which equals “kill.” The 43 mountain lions killed in the Aravaipa Canyon area were hunted many years after that desert bighorn sheep herd was established by Game and Fish. That means the lions apparently have to be killed for decades to prop up population numbers of bighorn sheep, a big game species, for human hunters to shoot. A problem with an unknown result is that by killing mountain lions in an area, the Game and Fish Department may be accelerating inbreeding in the remnant population, because outmigration is likely to be drastically reduced. In mountain lion populations that are left alone, the young are driven out; whereas, in a mountain lion population that suffers high mortality rates (43 is a high mortality rate), the young will tend to stay in the area and eventually breed with siblings or parents. That can lead to genetic deterioration that could threaten the existence of mountain lions if high mortality rates continue through heavy Game and Fish killing … I mean “management.”
—Ricardo Small

From “Student legal adviser retires after 21 years” (by Lauren Niday, March 4)

I went to Susan twice over my time as a UA student and can only say good things about her services. Her legal advice was so helpful to the issues that I was dealing with and she will be missed. Thank you!
—Sonia