A primary driver of the near-extinction of the American buffalo was the insatiable demand for industrial leather belting to power machinery in factories. This often-overlooked connection shows how industrialization directly fueled one of the largest ecological disasters in American history.

The world's longest fence was initially built to control invasive rabbits, a project that completely failed. The costly infrastructure was later adapted and extended to manage dingo populations, demonstrating how a failed public works project can find a new, more effective purpose.

History demonstrates that dominance over seemingly mundane but critical resources is a foundational element of national power. The Roman Empire's control of salt and 19th-century America's pursuit of guano (bird fertilizer) laid the groundwork for their military and economic dominance.

For decades, dingoes were viewed as invasive feral dogs, which justified widespread extermination policies. The modern scientific consensus that they are a unique, native Australian species has created a deep cultural and political conflict over their management, pitting conservation against agricultural interests.

Stress in livestock has a direct and measurable negative impact on final product quality. Similar to how human hair breaks during stressful periods, sheep experiencing acute stress from events like severe weather produce wool with a 'tender spot' that breaks easily. This establishes a tangible link between animal welfare and the commercial value of goods.

The recent rise in British wool prices is a misleading indicator of health. It's a paradox created by a post-pandemic demand surge colliding with dwindling supply. Sheep flocks are shrinking because post-Brexit farming subsidies are less generous, meaning the 'good news' of higher prices is actually a symptom of a struggling, contracting industry.

Although the wool industry's economic dominance has faded, removing the dingo fence is considered "political suicide." The structure has transformed into a powerful symbol of Australia's agricultural heritage, making its costly maintenance a political tool for politicians to show support for farmers, regardless of ecological cost.

In the late colonial period, white-tailed deer skins were the second-largest commodity by economic value exported from the colonies, surpassed only by rice. This highlights how integral the wildlife trade was to the early American economy, supplying European markets with buckskin for clothing.

On Gari (Fraser Island), tourism brings awareness to dingo conservation but also causes the conflicts that endanger them. Tour operators market dingoes as cute mascots, which encourages unsafe tourist behavior. This leads to tragic attacks that result in the culling of the very animals the tourists came to see.