ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 1, 2022
A troubled species rebounds thanks to restoration efforts, only to make things worse for others in peril by preying on them or outcompeting them for food and living space. Similar circumstances have turned up, challenging wildlife experts who want them all to thrive in balanced, healthy environments. The iconic bald eagle’s comeback has pressured rare water birds. Gray seals previously on the brink of extirpation in waters of New England now occupy some beaches by the hundreds. The 800-pound mammal’s return has raised worries about vulnerable fish stocks. Such unintended consequences, experts say, illustrate nature’s complexity and the importance of protecting biological communities, not just individual species.