extinction – Page 9 – See Animals Wild

February 5, 2022June 28, 2022

one in three shark and ray species in the world faces extinction

Sharks are generally one of the top predators in any ocean. As a result, if they disappear the rest of the ecosystem tends to loose its balance.

The number of these predators facing global extinction has doubled in just 1 decade. A study recently found that shark and ray numbers are down 70% in the last 50 years. Species that were once pretty common like hammerhead sharks are now in danger of disappearing for ever.

These sorts of sights are already rare, however, we could see them consigned to history if dramatic action is not undertaken in the next few years.

February 4, 2022June 28, 2022

There are more than 10,000 tigers living in the USA, with under 4000 in the wild

Back in 2010, the 12 tiger countries in the world came together with an aim to double their tiger population by 2022 the next year of the tiger. This has failed and I will write about it in an article coming out tomorrow.

However, perhaps more alarming, there is currently almost 3 times as many tigers living in private collections in the USA than there are in the wild. Even with 12 years of hard work and much money spent the wild tiger population has increased to 3,900, yet in back yards across the USA there are estimated to be 10,000. Now some estimates are lower with the WWF estimating 5000 -though even this low estimate is still lower than the total in the wild. Importantly only 6% of these tigers are kept in facilities that are accredited as zoos, and the rest usually have no one who knows how to work with them. One of the problem with this, is that much of the USA tiger trade is there to provide tiger bones for traditional Chinese medicine.

While some of these are carefully looked after and are only bred amongst their own sub-species, others are are treated essentially as a large pussy cat. Why is keeping their sub-species pure? If captive tigers are to form a protective net against wild extinction, they must be capable of returning to the wild. For this we need each subspecies to remain genetically pure, so that they are able to retain their adaptions for each environment. If for instance, a Bengal tiger from India was released into the Siberian tiger range it would be unlikely to survive as it would not be able to cope with the cold. On the other hand, if the Bengal tiger was released in Sumatra, it could do great damage to the ecosystem as it is so much larger than the native tiger.

Although tigers are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, the law still allows private possession of captive-bred tigers as long as they are used for conservation. Precisely how the US authorities can enforce this is anyone’s guess. Clearly, the majority of US tigers have nothing to do with conservation.

The fact that there are so many tigers in the USA can therefore be a threat to the long-term survival of wild tigers. However, it would seem that it is also a big threat to the survival of the Jaguar. Jaguar canines sell for $200-$300 in south America. However, sold in china as tiger teeth, they can go for $5000-$10,000. As a result, this tiger pet industry in the USA can lead to the destruction of not only tigers, but also Jaguars.

What is clear, is that the USA needs to get a grip in its domestic exotic pet trade and fast. There is no place for a big cat in someone’s home. If things continue to go as they are, USA will not only be responsible for much game hunting around the world, but could also lead to the extinction of other species to supply the pet trade.

February 4, 2022June 28, 2022

Almost 1/3 of the wild koala population has been lost in the last 3 years.

Koalas are often listed as one of the most popular animals worldwide. Living only in Australia, most of us are not going to see them in their natural setting.

Increasingly it is looking like, no one will see them in their natural setting unless you are travelling to Australia soon.

A mix of droughts, heatwaves and bushfires have all contributed to deal this huge blow to this unique species.

There are now estimated to be just 58,000 wild koalas, down for 80,000 in 2018. Another problem occurs when developers clear land to build a property – which is continuing to occur in Koala habitat.

Earlier this year, Australia announced that it was considering listing the East coast koala as endangered. With a precipitous fall in population like this, it seems odd that there is any decision to be made – of course the Koala is endangered, and if the government is considering listing a particular subspecies as endangered it must be very bad.

Estimates as high as 1 billion are quoted for the number of animals killed in the fires.

January 31, 2022July 1, 2022

Maybe the British red squirrel is not doomed on mainland britain?

There are few animals more loved than the native red squirrel, yet in the UK we have watched its gradual decline since the non-native grey introduction

At the moment, red squirrels still survive in reasonable numbers up in Scotland. It is not that grey squirrels out compete red ones, but that they carry an illness which kills red squirrels very fast.

January 27, 2022June 28, 2022

Academics fear that if Bolsonaro is re-elected in October, the Amazon rainforest will collapse during his second term

The signs of collapse are getting more and more clear. Fires droughts and land clearances are all pushing the Amazon towards collapse. Yet Jair Bolsonaro is not interested having put his head in the sand. Instead he is busy placating powerful agribusiness lobby and trying to get the global economy to reward his bad behaviour.

Could this become increasingly what Brazil looks like? If it does, how will it feed its growing population?

The blows to forest protection have come fast in the last year. It is unclear how much of the Brazilian population understands how big the threat is that Bolsonaro is ignoring.

January 24, 2022June 28, 2022

First ever DNA extracted from remains of elephant on Sicily!

While Sicily is the largest island lying in the Mediterranean, it is less than 10,000 square miles, and as such it is quite amazing to find that Sicily played host to two different species of elephant in the last few hundred thousand years.

This image shows quite how small the smallest dwarf elephant was

January 22, 2022July 1, 2022

New effort to try to find the Asian ‘unicorn’ Saola

No biologist has ever seen one in the wild, and they were only confirmed to exist in 1992 becoming one of a very rare group of mammals only discovered in the last few decades.

Camera traps have photographed them a handful of times, and possibly even local villages have tried to keep them in captivity. Unfortunately, they have never survived -presumably because they were not given suitable food.

In 1992 2 skills and a pair of trophy horns were discovered. Over the next few years about 20 more specimens including a full skin were collected, and in 1993 DNA evidence revealed it was not only a species unknown to science, but exists in a new genus of the Bovid family (which include cattle antelope goats and sheep).

The name means spindle horns.

Although not directly hunted, poaching has exploded in its range – likely reducing its population further. While efforts to mount more patrols have been undertaken, there are thousands of people setting up snares, with millions in the forest.

Other species like the Large-antlered Muntjac have also become critically endangered.

In 2001 the Saola population was estimated to number 70 to 200 individuals. More recently, this has been reduced to ‘no more than 100’. It was last camera trapped in 2013 with villagers continuing to report its presence.

The problem with species like this is simple. If you imagine looking for a small antelope with a small population in a large forest, it is clear how rarely you would stumble upon it; if you add that it is shy and good at hiding, it makes it particularly hard to protect.

Its thought that the Saola has lived on earth for 8 million years, as it is present in the fossil record. At the moment, there is an effort underway to find and catch enough to create a captive breeding program; though we must hope that if they succeed, the scientists will be more successful than the villagers in keeping them alive.

January 14, 2022July 1, 2022

UK has once again delayed its ban on Ivory sales

To much fanfare, the British government decided to ban the sale of Ivory 3 years ago. This is certainly a good thing. Unfortunately, they have just delayed its introduction again – and we are already 3 years after this law was supposed to come into effect. Admittedly, this time the delay is only supposed to be for 2 months, but it sends the wrong message.

Forest and Savannah elephant populations across west and east Africa have been decimated over the last decade or two.

Ivory trade is (most of us will be surprised to hear) is still going in the UK, Will lord Goldsmith keep to his promise this year? And how many elephants will die before he does – in the hope of adding ivory to our trade?

Ministers claim that background work has not been carried out, but given they have had 3 years this is inexcusable. Someone should be fired for this.

At the moment elephants are being killed at the rate of one every 15-25 minutes or 50-100 a day. The UK is the largest exporter of Ivory. Also much ivory from recently poached animals is passed off as antique – avoiding the rules.

The EU is now considering acting on this pressing issue. Our original advance has been destroyed, and we now look like we are incompetent.

It is currently down to issues creating the technical standards for exempting legal ivory.

My proposal would be to ban all ivory sale until this system was in place. This would put pressure on people to finish it quickly (and I would be surprised if it wasn’t solved very fast).

Lord Goldsmith wrote in a letter that he committed to enacting the bill by the end of 2022, though similar things were said 3 years ago.

January 13, 2022June 29, 2022

Australia is risking several of the most pristine marine environments

Australia has an incredible range of wildlife. Indeed, a great number of people visit Australia because of this. From their fascinating land mammals -kangaroos and koalas, as well as many more, to the great barrier reef and the wide array of other sea life.

They also have areas of Australia which are already almost unusable, because the temperature is too high. You would think therefore, that conservation would be a high priority. Unfortunately under the current government that is very much not the case.

Rowley Shoals is one of the most intact reefs in the world

From mining projects and farming, wildlife is shown to have low priority. In recent times, a firm was given permission to dump material from dredging inside a marine park (and submerging parts of a coral reef – something that will kill it.

January 9, 2022June 29, 2022

It is becoming more and more clear, that Trumps move to delist wolves was too soon and completely uncontrolled -perhaps by design?

I have written about issues that have arisen from the delisting of wolves in America. Given their absence from a large portion of the USA, the suggestion that they have recovered is insane. Unfortunately, putting states in charge takes the decisions of what a sensible ‘harvest’ is, away from scientists and puts it in the hands of local governors.

Wisconsin has already killed 1/3 of the wolf population based in the state. The fact is, that Wisconsin stated that their aim was to have a stable wolf population, something clearly not successful.