The most rare species of dolphin on this planet today whose number is down to barely a hundred is found in New Zealnd. The name of the dophin is the Maui Dolphin and it has been critically endangered for the past few years. It is now under the protection of the government of New Zealand after an intensive campaign by the WWF to give attention to the dolphins.
Most of the deaths of these rare dolphins is due to fishing nets. These dolphins cannot detect the tiny mesh of fishing nets and as they swim, their bodies get entangle until they drown and die. Such horrible death for these poor creatures.
The WWF has constantly been campaigning and pressuring the government of New Zealand until the call was heeded. Starting October 1 2008, trawl fishing and other forms of fishing that use fishing nets that can endanger these dolphins have been banned in the areas where these rare dolphins thrive. This also applied to areas where a distant relative of the Maui dolphins, the Hector’s dolphins, live.
As an environmentalist myself, I have a reason to be happy but I will still keep on pushing governments and people to put immediate actions on issues that can cause flora and fauna to get extinct. We all know that once a species is extinct, it can never ever be replaced. And this can cause a permanent broken link in the complex web of life!
The day of our dear departed is fast coming. And as Novembe1 approaches, we celebrate Halloween parties complete with costumes and decorations in our house.
Halloween has so many symbolisms associated with it. And some of these symbolisms include animals.
The bat is one of the most common animals that are present in Halloween parties. Even outside of Halloween, the bat has always been associate with evil and everything dark.
But in truth, the bat is one of the most useful animals that gives benefits to man. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. There are two kinds of bats: the fruit bat and the insect bats. The fruit bats eat fruits and help disperse seeds for pollination. Our common perception is that they are a nuisance because they eat fruits that are supposed to be for human consumption but the truth is that bats only eat over riped fruits. Insect bats on the other hand help regulate population of mosquitoes and other harmful insects.
The black cat is another animal associated with Halloween and black magic. Some people fear black cats while some people kill them to prevent bad luck. But none of these are scientifically true. Cats are cats and are animals that we should love.
The snake is often used as Halloween props although not as commonly as the bat and the cat. Snakes are useful in the ecosystem because they regulate the population of rodents and other animals that may destroy crops.
All of us have roles in the ecosystem. We are all creatures of a powerful and intelligent God so we should respect each other.
I applaud teachers and schools that teach kids about kindness to animals. There are so much to be learned about animals and that one of the best places to learn about them is the zoo.
The last time I went to the zoo was six months ago when I brought my 6 year old son. I can see how amazed my son was looking at the monkeys hanging and playing from branch to branch. He loved the giraffe and their long necks. In fact my son enjoying feeing leaves to them that he fed and watched them eat for 30 minutes. The roar of the lions shocked my son a bit but later he learned it was a normal sound that those cats make.
My point here is that the zoo could be a good learning place for people to get a close encounter with the animals. But it is also a good place to teach people how not get animals from their natural habitats and place them in enclosures.
I know there is a price to pay for learning but there should be a balance. Zoo management should make sure that the environments of these wild animals are correctly simulated in their enclosures.
Africa is the world’s second biggest and second most populous continent in the world. It is only second to Asia in terms of land area and population. Africa is very significant to the world in that some of the earliest peoples are believed to have come from the continent. And in the field of environmental conservation, Africa is a hotspot because environmental destruction is very rampant in this very biodiversity rich land mass.
Africa’s climate goes from tropical to subarctic depending depending on the part and elevation in the continent. Hal of Africa going north is most arid or deserted.
The pride of Africa is in rich biodiversity. This means that Africa is very rich in plant and animal life. The largest combination of density of wild animals in the world is in this continent. In Africa are found the large species of wild mammals such as tigers, lions, jaguars, giraffe, rhinoceros and elephants. AS can be noticed, both large species of herbivores and carnivores can be found in one “range of freedom” found in Africa.
On a similar note, Africa is also rich in other natural resources like mineral deposits and diamonds. But if we look at Africa today, many people are in hunger and extreme poverty.
Corruption is a major cause of the hardships being experienced by the African people. Many richer countries of the world are reaching to Africa. It is hoped that Africa heal – its people getting out poverty and its biodiversity protected and conserved.
Many people do not know how to deal with wild animals. Every time they see a wild animal, say, a person sees a snake in his backyard, the most frequent or common response is to kills the animal out of personal defence.
But that should not be the case. While it is true that wild animals can harm potentially, there are ways to avoid hurting both the animal or us.
The first thing to do when we see a while animal is to be calm. If you see one, stay where you are an try to reduce noise as much as you can. Wild animals can be shocked by your sudden movement. And when they are shocked, their instinct tells them of a potential danger and they will be forced to attack in self defense. Some wild mammals like bobcats are known to go astray in some backyard. They usually just quietly retreat if they are not threatened.
We should always remember that wild animals have as much right as we do to live on this planet. If we have to analyze, it is us human beings who are encroaching the animals’ natural habitat.
Try looking at our planet’s pictures from above. See the barren lands and mountainous areas being scraped off their greens to make way for human settlement. See the river banks and reclaimed area by the sea where tall buildings are being erected to expand our cities.
The next you see a wild animal like a fox, always remember that they own the land too. And they won’t attack if you don’t do first. And bear in mind that you are the thinking animal. God made you to be the steward of this planet.
