Category Archive: Nature

Apr
22

The Internet Influence on Wildlife Conservation

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Status UpdateDissemination of information has never been easier then at this very moment.  The Internet, specifically social media sites, allows us to share concerns regarding wildlife and bring attention to important conservation issues instantly with people around the world.  Case in point, you are reading this blog.  Unfortunately, along with the potential good this kind of technology brings there is also the bad.  With millions of daily tweets, Facebook status updates, Youtube videos, Instagram pictures, Flickr uploads, and blog posts one cannot help but ask if this actually helps or hinders wildlife conservation.

 

There are not too many wildlife conservation organizations that do not have a presence on the World Wide Web.  Websites linked to Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube give followers daily updates on research and related topics that affect the species they care most about.  Wildlife poaching for ivory, horn, bones, or fur, deforestation within the Palm Oil industry, shark finning, and human-wildlife conflict are only a few topics that can be found every hour in our newsfeed. However, does this inundation of pictures and updates result in people wanting to help or hide?  I have studied elephants for over 13 years.  I am all too aware of the current situation in range countries with the rampant poaching for ivory.  I have seen more then my share of pictures of poached elephants with faces removed for ivory collection.  That said, it is starting to become a bit much for even a seasoned conservationist to constantly see posts containing graphic pictures of dead animals.  I have friends that ask why those working in the realm of wildlife conservation want to continually look at these horrific images.  The truth is, we don’t.  The shock and awe media campaign has always been present in wartime journalism.  Poaching is definitely a war against wildlife.  I suppose it is a given that reporting from the front lines, regardless of subject, uses raw images to show the reality of a given situation.  However, the reality is it turns people away.

 

 

Catching wildlife perpetrators who willingly participate in illegal wildlife trade has become a little easier thanks to the web.  Facebook is a popular place for individuals to post pictures engaged in leisure activities.  On more then one occasion wildlife poaching or harassment has been on display for the entire world to see, including law enforcement officials who regulate and prosecute such stupidity.  Unfortunately, those regulating officers are not the only ones patrolling social media sites.  Poachers are also scouring social media sites like Facebook and Flickr that not only post pictures but also locations.  An animal lover on vacation sharing information regarding endangered flora and fauna they encounter may unknowingly give away their whereabouts allowing for poachers to kill or capture rare species.

 

 

Marketplace sites like Ebay have been a thorn in the side of conservationists for a long time.  Every imaginable item can be found for sale on Ebay.  Aside from bedding, used textbooks, and used-only-once car tires, wild animals and their parts can be purchased.  Ebay claims that with the volume of daily sales it is impossible to internally monitor the legalities of items posted on their site.  They encourage users to notify them immediately if any questionable items are found.  I shudder to think with every one item that is flagged how many go unnoticed.  Furthermore, what about those items sold as antiques collected before government regulations were set, listed as faux or replicas when in fact they are real shells, bone, fur, ivory, etc., or those items sold containing undisclosed objects hidden from all but those on the inside of such illegal trade?  Most crimes against wildlife are carried out in the open, not behind closed doors.

 

WWF_HandsOffMyPartsNo one can deny that the Internet has been instrumental in spreading information concerning wildlife conservation.  It has allowed wildlife biologist and conservationists a way to to stay connected as well as share their passion with others about the places and species they love.  But, does awareness result in action?  For all of the good intentions, how much of what we share is used to unknowingly harm instead of help wildlife?  Or is our need to over share turning people away from our cause?  As a society we rely far too much on others for regulation.  We live in an age where an unlimited amount of information is at our fingertips; information that is ever changing and evolving.  Be aware of what you post and how others perceive your words or pictures.  Think before you share!

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Feb
11

Love is in the Air . . . and Babies on the Way

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought it only fitting to take a closer look at baby making, and rearing, in the animal kingdom.  Being a reproductive physiologist by training, I am always very fascinated by the ways wildlife have adapted to ensure species survival.  How animals have evolved to overcome harsh environments, predators, and lack of resources, to name a few, to reproduce and raise young is incredible to say the very least.

Thanks to the children’s animated feature, Happy Feet, most of us have at least a basic understanding of the yearly mating and egg laying drama of the Emperor penguin.   Living in the harshest climate on the planet, Emperor penguins travel to Antarctica to raise their families.  After courtship and mating, the female lays a single egg.  Because of below freezing temperatures, the egg must rest on the tops of the mother’s feet.  Not too long after laying, the egg is transferred from the mother to the father.  Many eggs are lost in this Ova-repositioning dance.  Once the egg is safely on the father’s feet the females head out to sea to feed for the following few months, leaving the fathers to endure temperatures of -40 degrees C, winds close to 200 km per hour, and without food.  In fact, during this ordeal, the male can lose up to 50% of his total body weight.  Fathers continue to look after their precious cargo for approximately 64 days until the egg hatches.  Usually, at this time or shortly after, the females return and take over feeding and protection of the chick allowing the new fathers a well-deserved vacation at sea.

In stark contrast, male elephants participate in the making of the young, but not much else.  Elephant herds are made up of mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, grandmothers, and juvenile males, all of which participate in rearing young calves.  I believe the old African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” was written about elephant society.  After a 22 month gestation, female elephants give birth to an almost 100 kg calf.  Like all things elephant, nothing is done quickly; thus, elephant babies continue to nurse for 3-4 years.  Although it sounds like a lot of work for mom, she has an incredible support system within the herd.  Prepubertal females learn how to take care of calves by babysitting younger siblings and cousins.  Older females no longer having young of their own participate in a grandmother-like behavior know as allomothering.  Thus, mothers are given a break to forage while their calves are well cared for by others.

A new take on pregnancy can be seen in any of the 32 species of seahorse.  After an intricate courtship dance that may be performed over several days, the female deposits as many as 2,000 eggs in a pouch located on the male’s stomach.  Once inside the pouch, the eggs are fertilized.   After 10-25 days, neonates hatch but remain in the pouch.  Slowly, the father regulates the salinity inside the pouch acclimating young for life in the ocean.  When the young are in the fry stage they are expelled from their father’s pouch via muscle contractions similar to those experienced in parturition in females of other species.  However, after the baby seahorses are born, they are on their own.

Adaptions in reproduction processes, including mating, pregnancy, and rearing of young, has facilitated species survival.  Whether it be parturition by a father instead of mother, or an extended gestation and lactation period, wildlife are quite successful in all matters of love and baby making.  To fill their niche, species have evolved to handle family rearing in harsh environments, with or without help.  So this Valentine’s Day when you are either giving or receiving the reproductive organs of angiosperms (surely you didn’t think flowers were simply used for aesthetical purposes) to your loved one, give a small pause for other members of the animal kingdom.  For them, love in the air is more then wine and chocolates, for some it is about sacrifice and true devotion.

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Nov
13

Wildlife Trafficking: Be Part of the Solution, Not the Problem

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With the holidays right around the corner many people have started their yearly quest for one of a kind gifts.  It is very easy amidst the hustle and bustle to purchase items based on beauty alone.  Please be wildlife aware when buying and receiving gifts.  The cost may only be a few dollars out of your pocket, but for an animal it just may have cost his life.

It has been well known for quite some time that the illegal trafficking of wildlife and their parts is a multi-billion dollar a year business.  Falling behind only drugs and weapons, wildlife trafficking is a deadly business for animals and humans alike.  Although government complacency, compliance, and corruption allow such atrocities to occur, the overall demand of such products perpetuates these crimes.

When it comes to wildlife trafficking, be part of the solution not the problem.  It is every ones responsibility to know what you are purchasing and where it comes from.  Is an ivory statue worth the life of an endangered elephant?  More times than not, wildlife products are not intentionally obtained.  Jewelry and hair accessories made from bone, hair, and shell fragments can be found in every corner of the globe and now in the digital age just a click away.  What may look exotic to some may represent death and destruction to others.  Know how to tell the difference.

No doubt that international involvement from governments to mandate compliance to regulate and end wildlife trafficking is needed to end this horrible business.  However, we all have a part to play with the choices we make via purchasing power.  Support wildlife conservation efforts by not supporting the killing and exploitation of wildlife for trinkets and material symbols.  The future of the planet and its inhabitants lies in all of our hands.

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Oct
23

Dispelling Wildlife Myths- Halloween Edition

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With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it the perfect time to address some common misunderstandings about wildlife.  We have all heard them.  Whether they are called myths or Old Wives Tales most false accusations conjure up fear that sometimes result in the persecution and death of many innocent species.

How many times have you heard someone say that toads give people warts?  I myself have been told this on more occasions then I care to remember.  The idea that touching or just looking at a toad can cause a skin malady is simply not true.  Although some species, for example the Cane toad, do have the ability to secrete toxins from either enlarged glands or through pores in their skin, such compounds need to be ingested before they have any ill health effects.  Let me add that if ingestion of such secretions does occur, warts will be the least of your worries.  I think that this tall tale may have been started as a deterrent from an overzealous mother who did not want her children to handle such creatures.

It always amazes me when I see someone touch a reptile for the first time and hear them exclaim, “Wow, they aren’t slimy at all.”  Contrary to popular belief, reptiles, especially snakes, are not slimy.  I think the confusion comes from the fact that amphibians have wet skin that aids in respiration.  Since most people do not know that reptiles and amphibians belong to completely different classes of Scientific Taxonomy they expect both to feel similar.  Furthermore, venomous reptiles do not live with the sole purpose to chase and bite people.  Reptiles, like most wild animals, will avoid humans at all costs.  Most envenomations occur when snakes are accidentally stood upon or picked up.

Thanks to Hollywood, bats have the reputation for being heartless blood drinkers.  It will surprise most to know that of the 1,240 species of bats only 3 get their sustenance from hematophagia.  Yes, you heard me correct, only 3 species.  The common, hairy-legged, and white-winged vampire bats can be found from Mexico to Brazil, Chile, and Argentina.  So to answer your next question, there are no native vampire bats in Transylvania.  In addition, globally, only 0.5% of bats carry rabies.  Since bats hunt with echolocation a virus that affects the central nervous system renders them disoriented and unable to fly; thus, human contact with an infected bat is uncommon.

It is nearly impossible to visit a retail store around this time a year and not see a hairy black spider as part of the All Hallows Eve decoration.  Arachnophobia is one of the most common fears in humans.  Perhaps this is why the spider is a popular item found among the holiday décor.   However, one does not have to suffer from a full on phobia to simply be afraid of the misunderstood spider.  To date, over 40,000 species of spider has been identified on every continent except Antarctica, with the oldest known arachnid dating back 420 million years.  Despite such widespread hatred of these creatures, spiders are very beneficial.  A fair few are equipped with venom potent enough to cause sickness and even death in humans, but only 100 deaths were reported in the 20th century.  Spiders are far more valuable to humans as they control insect populations, are they themselves a menu item in some parts of the world, and whose venom has a number of pharmaceutical benefits treating such ailments as cardiac arrhythmia, strokes, and symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients.

I suppose one could write for days to dispel the myths about wildlife.  The important thing to remember is that wild creatures, vertebrates or invertebrates, are just as afraid of humans as we are of them.  Far more wildlife is killed every year out of ignorance and fear by humans then humans killed from frightened animals.   Happy Halloween!

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