1.   Others said the wolf was needed to thin huge numbers of elk, deer and moose, which have flourished in the absence of a predator.

2.   The University of Nebraska has used tenure buy-outs to thin its numbers of tenured professors.

3.   Western ecosystems have adapted to periodic, low intensity fires that clean out accumulated debris and thin the number of trees.

4.   He said crocodile numbers should be thinned to reduce the threat.