We know that the forests of the Amazon have a long history of human interference. Scientists have been studying the region's ancient geoglyphs—large designs traced into the ground with rocks and other debris—since the 1960s, when deforestation by cattle ranchers first revealed the stunning shapes. Because the geoglyphs only appeared once forests had burned away, it follows that the ancient artists must have burned their own trees to the ground to build them.
We got a lot of heat for this essay about problematic wolf-hunting laws in Wyoming. Which, fine! Glad we could start a discussion. As a followup, here's a nice visual representation of all the threats facing cattle - if you'll notice, wolves are not exactly on the top of that list. Much of the motivation for the laws allowing wolf-hunting in states like Wyoming come from an assumption that wolves are a major problem for cattle ranchers - that wolves are responsible for significant so-called "unintended" cattle loss. "Unintended" cattle loss, by the way, is the term the USDA uses for cattle who die before they are killed in slaughterhouses.
