"Fran Higham" writes:
"John Savage" wrote in message
The first step to insulating agriculture against extended periods of zero
rainfall is to get rid of all hoofed animals from unimproved grazing land.

Sounds great in theory but unfortunately it is not necessarily true on the
ground. At least with hoofed animals there is some hope of managing
stocking density: not so with the so-called soft footed natives which, in
current numbers, do a LOT of damage.

When land is carrying more mouths than it can support, regardless of
species, some damage is inevitable. But, just as was done with the pig
and the ox, selective breeding over generations could give us a heavy-set
less-athletic 'roo---more tractable and less flighty---and ultimately more
manageable. One advantage about farming in a low-rainfall climate, if you
erect good fencing and yards around your few watering holes you could pen
the animals (by remote control, closing the gate via a webcam link?) when
the mob comes to drink. In drier times, anyway.

They do tail-docking of lambs and some dogs, and I am wondering about
the result on its speed of tail-docking a roo as a joey. Anyone ever
seen a 'roo without a tail, perhaps as the result of an accident, and
can say how this affected its ability to leap?

Anyway, GM experimentation should soon be able to create the ideal farm
animal for any region!
--
John Savage (for email, replace "ks" with "k" and delete "n")