An example of an endangered species helped by reintroduction?

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Sam B

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Anyone have an example of a species which was endangered being helped by the reintroduction of an entirely different species that became extinct in that country?
 
Off the top of my head, no, but there have been some very, very interesting developments in Yellowstone since the reintroduction of the wolf. A lot of hunters complain that the elk population has been more than halved, but what they don't mention is that it was severely overpopulated before the wolves were brought back, and causing ecological havoc as a result. For example, the youngest aspen tree in Yellowstone when the wolves were first introduced was 50 years old and dated to roughly the time when the last wolves in the area were killed. Now there are young aspen trees growing in Yellowstone for the first time in decades. Likewise, willows and cottonwoods are returning to formerly trampled streambanks, which provides habitat for numerous aquatic and semi-aquatic species. And grizzlies, which aren't endangered in Yellowstone, but are in the US as a whole, have also benefited, from an increase in carcasses to scavenge.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726150904.htm

Also, check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Wild-Things-Were-Ecological/dp/1596912995/
 
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