> Also the same character said that mammals (excluding humans) instinctively find a balance with their surroundings, which is laughable.

How exactly is this laughable? it is generally true as shown by the predator-prey cycle - a form of balance. The exception to this cycle is usually invasive species that do not have a natural predator, these populations grow until they exhaust their food source and the population collapses.

The exception is also all of the mammals that have gone extinct over the last several million years due to not reaching a balance.

Also by the predator-prey cycle argument, humans just haven't reached the balance yet. We have an abundance of food currently, so we are still growing to the balance point.