I'd make an intelligent decision neither creature is capable of understanding, in my own best interests. If I had a barn infested with mice and an attic being shredded by squirrels I'd shoot the mother and let the snake have his dinner. If the squirrel population was declining I'd free the kid. I shoot rattlesnakes here and save Bullsnakes, not because one is better or worse than the other for nature but because one can kill livestock and children and the other can't. I've also got a mountain lion on my property that I won't allow anyone to hunt.

You combat this attitude all you want but I'm not going to watch a crocodile hunt a child either. I put mouse traps in my crawl space and kill flies in the kitchen. I toss carp on shore to die when I go fishing. Nature can take its coarse elsewhere, I make my environment more suitable for me. By your logic you shouldn't pull weeds either, let them flourish and absorb nutrients from your garden soil. Bacteria is pretty important in nature too but I'll bet you've taken antibiotics to kill some.

I'd make an intelligent decision neither creature is capable of understanding in my own best interests. If I had a barn infested with mice and an attic being shredded by squirrels I'd shoot the mother and let the snake have his dinner. If the squirrel population was declining I'd free the kid. I shoot rattlesnakes here and save Bullsnakes, not because one is better or worse than the other for nature but because one can kill livestock and children and the other can't. I've also got a mountain lion on my property that I won't allow anyone to hunt.

You combat this attitude all you want but I'm not going to watch a crocodile hunt a child either. I put mouse traps in my crawl space and kill flies in the kitchen. I toss carp on shore to die when I go fishing. Nature can take its coarse elsewhere, I make my environment more suitable for me. By your logic you shouldn't pull weeds either, let them flourish and absorb nutrients from your garden soil. Bacteria is pretty important in nature too but I'll bet you've taken antibiotics to kill some.