It's not presented as an experiment, even though it could be described as such. It wasn't even constructed as an experiment. It was built to allow people to do something that they want to do, but the way that it happens and the scale at which it happens are things that no one really considers. Humans have a hard time grasping the scale of things once they reach a large enough size. Similar to things like the over-hunting of the American Bison or the over-fishing of various waters around the world. "There's tons of Bison on the open plains. It's impossible for humans to put a dent in their numbers! Why should I feel bad about killing so many."