May 2021 – Page 2 – See Animals Wild

May 9, 2021July 1, 2022

Cicadas in their trillions are about to make their appearance in USA

Cicadas have a fascinating way of avoiding most predators. They spend most of their lives under ground. Every 17 years they awake from hibernation and emerge. At this point they mate, lay eggs and die. They young then climb back beneath ground and the process starts again.

However the numbers are incredible, with the average acre of land in the right states having 1.5 million Cicadas emerging from the ground.

1,200 cicada sightings have already been made.

One distinguishing characteristic behaviour is the males song, which can reach 105 decibels (louder than a lawn mower or many other heavy equipment.

May 7, 2021July 1, 2022

Fascinating genetic analysis of African and Asian leopards show worrying fact

Despite the fact that over time I’m many zoos have accidentally or intentionally interbred African and Asian leopards they are actually significantly different.

On the left an African leopard on the right an Asiatic leopard

How different you might ask? The two different cat species are more genetically distinct than the polar bear and the brown Bear!

We need to remember that subspecies of animals evolve separately to be able to cope with local requirements. It is clear that we must save as many species as we can but also subspecies.

May 6, 2021July 1, 2022

The Chernobyl accident was a devastating problem, however it is given a laboratory that we would never have had otherwise

After the Chernobyl nuclear accident an exclusion zone 2660 square kilometres (just over 1000 square miles) hod to be abandoned.

Bears are an apex predator, so their return to Chernobyl is a good sign, this photo was taken elsewhere

Now while the area is horrifically damaged by the the nuclear waste, the absence of humans has been such a boon that wildlife populations in the exclusion zone are doing phenomenally well.

The area hosts several dozen wolves, and bears returned for the first time in 2014 – having been absent from the area for more than a century.

Indeed what is fascinating about the area is the clear evidence that the damage caused by nuclear radiation is nowhere near as damaging as the human population.

Whether this can change and we can allow small pockets of wilderness in the heart of Europe is a question that most would answer no. However given how many benefits will genesis like this give to the area around them, perhaps we should be aiming to create more.

May 3, 2021July 1, 2022

Namibia is auctioning it elephants, should this be allowed?

In many countries around the world, some conservation success can lead to problems. In Africa halting elephant poaching can lead to rocketing populations, which in turn can lead to not enough space and human elephant conflict.

Elephants in Namibia taken by Thomas Schoch

In some places countries have sold the animals that they no longer say they have the space for.

The problem is that many countries are now doing this merely for the money. Namibia has decided to sell 170 elephants. The problem is is that namibia’s resident elephant population is very small, perhaps 5000 to 7000. More than 80% of the elephants in Namibia are migratory, in that they roam in and out of the country. In terms of the resident population, the 170 elephants represents at least 3% of the permanent population.

While selling animals can be a good way of raising money for conservation, reduction of this size is not wise particularly when elephants are not in a good place globally anyway.

May 2, 2021July 1, 2022

Joined up effort to fight habitat loss and pandemics together

I have spoken repeatedly over the last year, about the positive impact of the epidemic. The loss of life has been horrible, and many people have suffered significant losses of different kinds. One of the advantages it is given though is a link between saving the remaining wildernesses on planet earth, and our own long-term health and wellbeing. Experts have once again stated the advantage of both fighting habitat loss and degradation at the same time as making sure that pandemics do not spread around the world again.

The idea that we might be the last generation on earth to have rainforests left to explore disgusts me. Perhaps the health of the worlds human population might give a reason to protect it

May 1, 2021July 1, 2022

The UK government banned ivory selling so why are they delaying implementing

Ivory, sometimes known as white gold is a real problem. Often valued as much as gold, the rewards for killing a wild elephant can amount too many decades, sometimes the equivalent of a lifetime’s wage to a poor African or Indian.