Population Control

First they said they might do it, then they said they wouldn't. Now it seems more of a definite maybe. At issue is the sensitive question of how best to control the growth of the largest population on Earth. Over the weekend, an official said China was considering making changes to its one-child policy, but didn't offer any specifics.

Ask Josephine Gonzalez how many children a family should have and the stick-figured 31-year-old mother answers without hesitation. "I only wanted three," she says, trying to soothe the naked baby boy who tugs at her ragged dress. But Gonzalez is, in fact, a mother of six. Her sister Angie Maquiran, two years older, has seven children.

Nevada wildlife officials, who have dealt with a record number of bear complaints, are considering holding the state's first-ever black-bear hunting season. About 300 adult bears live in the state, primarily around Lake Tahoe. "It's a hunter recreation opportunity. We believe there is a harvestable surplus of bears out there," said Kevin Lansford, wildlife staff specialist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Samson, otherwise known as Elephant No. 1, is twisting his trunk around some succulent young tufts of grass, tugging them up and throwing them into his mouth, perfectly aware we have sneaked up on him but willing to nonchalantly ignore us, for now. We crouch on a rock about 40 yards away -- about as close to a wild bull elephant as it is safe to get on foot. Even though Samson shows no signs of irritation, it's nice to be with David Powrie, who is something of an elephant whisperer.

There were too many squirrels in Santa Monica and too many pigeons in Hollywood. But rather than thinning out their ranks with the traditional technique of killing off the excess, the two communities decided earlier this year to try a more humane, yet experimental, method: birth control. Nature being nature and bureaucrats being bureaucrats, the results were decidedly mixed.

BAD NEWS supposedly comes in threes, so it's no surprise that last week saw a trifecta in the race to breed ourselves into oblivion. There was the South Dakota bill proposing a ban on all abortions other than those to save the life of the mother (that's right, no exceptions, even for rape or incest). Then on Tuesday, the Supreme Court shut down an anti-racketeering lawsuit against pro-life groups that blockade abortion clinics. Meanwhile, the U.S.

About 1 million residents of unincorporated communities in Los Angeles County soon will be required to spay or neuter their dogs, as supervisors Tuesday initially approved a sweeping ordinance designed to control strays. The new regulations also would require dog owners to have microchips implanted into their pets to help identify lost animals. "There is a serious problem with overpopulation," said Supervisor Mike Antonovich, bemoaning the thousands of animals that are put to death every year.

Not everyone who is up in arms over illegal immigration has plans to patrol the border or participate in a face-off at a day labor site. Some crunch numbers, zap out e-mails and talk -- calmly -- to anyone who will listen to them about the problems they say are caused by illegal immigrants. Diana Hull, president of Californians for Population Stabilization, belongs to the second camp.

A pack of endangered Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico's Gila National Forest has developed a fatal appetite for livestock. After killing four animals in the last few weeks, the trio of wolves is slated for termination. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorized a kill order amid growing anxiety among ranchers in the Gila as calving season leaves herds vulnerable.

When the U.S. government withheld $34 million in aid it had pledged to the U.N. Population Fund last July, Jane Roberts and Lois Abraham "just got mad." Independently, Roberts, a retired teacher from Redlands, Calif., and Abraham, a lawyer from New Mexico, sent e-mails to hundreds of friends and colleagues, saying that if 34 million people gave a dollar each, it could make up the difference.