PLEISTOCENE PARK, the ambitious proposal to restock the Great Plains of North America with lions and camels from Africa and Asia, may be an exciting idea but it now stands accused of failing ecologically, politically and economically.
The mammoths, wild horses and lions that populated the North American equivalent of the Serengeti went extinct shortly after the last ice age. Conservation biologists suggested last year that their endangered, living relatives be drafted in from abroad to replace them. The plan, quickly dubbed Pleistocene Park by the media, was meant to achieve the twin goals of restoring the lost potential of…
