11. Doubling Down on the Irresponsible in the Land Down Under
As early as the 1820s, it was becoming clear to all and sundry in Australia that releasing hares and rabbits into the Outback had been a huge mistake. At least if contemporary settler complaints and newspaper editorials were anything to go by. Yet, the evidence hopping all over the place, that releasing a non-native species into a new environment might produce unintended negative consequences, was not enough. In 1833, European Red Foxes were released into the Australian wild so they could breed. Why? To allow upper-class settlers to engage in the traditional English “sport” of fox hunting.
Within two decades of their introduction, fox populations had exploded, and they were declared pests. Throughout much of Australia – with the notable exception of Tasmania, where they were out-competed by the native Tasmanian Devil – foxes became apex predators. They hunted numerous native species into extinction, and drove many more to the brink. Not even tree-dwelling animals are safe: in 2016, researchers documented that some Red Foxes had learned how to climb trees in search of baby koalas and other unsuspecting creatures.