Southern Chile's Dilemma
People living in Tierra del Fuego call their home “the end of the world.” It is a group of islands that lie at the southernmost tip of South America. Most of the islands are part of Chile. The largest island, Isla Grande, is partly in Chile, and part of it is in Argentina.
Visitors there see a strange sight: hundreds and thousands of trees, dead and dying, their bark stripped. The trees look beautiful, but they are dead. What could cause such a disaster? Indirectly, people caused it.
During the 1800s, beaver hats were considered very stylish in Europe. During the 1940s, the Argentine government brought fifty beavers to the island. At that time, beaver fur coats were in fashion. If beavers flourished, the plan was to trap them to manufacture the expensive coats. However, soon after, fashion changed and there was little market for beaver coats. The beavers were left alone and largely forgotten. No one predicted the impact the beavers would have on the ecology.
Today, scientists estimate there are between 100,000 and 250,000 beavers on the island. In North America, where they are native, beavers have natural predators, which hunt them and control their population. Without predators, the beavers flourished. They started eating all the trees on the island.
Beavers also cut down some trees to dam rivers and build lodges. Water collects behind the dams and forms lakes. These dams serve as beaver homes. This building activity can destroy the ecology of the region. The life cycles of native plants and animals are disturbed. Also, the appetites of the beavers have caused a tree shortage for the logging industry.
The scenic lakes and cute, furry beavers do draw tourists to the region. However, most people feel the negative results far outweigh the positive ones. There is also the fear that the beavers will get off the island and onto the mainland. They could eventually ruin the entire country’s lumber industry. The beavers that were brought in to boost the economy may end up destroying it.
Therefore, officials decided that there was only one thing to do: eradicate all of the beavers. This idea seemed cruel to some people. The government needed to try a more humane approach. Through a huge trapping program, the leaders of Tierra del Fuego hoped to restore order. If they are successful, they will be able to solve the problem without harming the animals. The entire incident should teach people a lesson: it is a mistake to mess with nature.
Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which sentence best reveals the writer’s beliefs about the impact of beavers on Chilean ecology?
(1 point)
Responses
Therefore, officials decided that there was only one thing to do: eradicate all of the beavers.
Therefore, officials decided that there was only one thing to do: eradicate all of the beavers.
This idea seemed cruel to some people.
This idea seemed cruel to some people.
If they are successful, they will be able to solve the problem without harming the animals.
If they are successful, they will be able to solve the problem without harming the animals.
The entire incident should teach people a lesson: it is a mistake to mess with nature.