We are not saying this is going to be easy. There are huge and substantial risks and obstacles.

We're not advocating backing up a van of cheetahs and letting them go near Tucson.

Obviously, gaining public acceptance is going to be a huge issue, especially when you talk about reintroducing predators. There are going to have to be some major attitude shifts. That includes realizing predation is a natural role, and that people are going to have to take precautions.

Humans will continue to change ecosystems, cause extinctions, and affect the very future of evolution -- either by default or design. The default scenario will surely include ever more pests and weed-dominated landscapes and the extinction of most large vertebrates.

Lions eat people. There has to be a pretty serious attitude shift on how you view predators.

This [arrest] is Syria's way of saying that we're ready for a deal - of course, a backdoor deal.... They are not ready for public humiliation. They don't want to be completely humiliated in front of an international audience. And the US doesn't want to hear this kind of yes. The US is insisting that Syria [make] a clear break with the past.