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  • Nature has, had, a balance and we mess with it at our peril.

    I can't remember where I saw this, but there was a region of Africa, or perhaps somewhere else in the world where all wildlife had died out due to the collapse of the local eco system and the scientists could not understand why this happened when the region was so rich in varied life.

    Although I cannot remember the exact details, it was something like the rhinos (or other animal) go to die in water which scientists were unaware of. When the rhinos (or whatever animal it was) go to the lake to die, their bodies fed a whole eco system. When the animals were wiped out by hunters in this region, they could not go to this lake/river to die and thus the eco system collapsed.

    Probably on one of David Attenborough's programmes, it was on only within the last few years. If I can find the details, I'll post them.

  • ‘Uncontacted’ Amazon Tribe Members Reported Killed in Brazil

    Quote

    SÃO PAULO, Brazil — They were members of an uncontacted tribe gathering eggs along the river in a remote part of the Amazon. Then, it appears, they had the bad luck of running into gold miners.

    Now, federal prosecutors in Brazil have opened an investigation into the reported massacre of about 10 members of the tribe, the latest evidence that threats to endangered indigenous groups are on the rise in the country.

    Link

    :cursing::cursing::cursing:

  • Snow leopard off endangered list

    Quote

    Has the chilling threat of extinction worn off at last for the long-endangered snow leopard?

    Not exactly - but the iconic big cats' conservation status has been improved from "endangered" to "vulnerable".

    The decision was announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the global standard for assessing extinction risk.

    Experts have warned that the species still faces serious threats from poaching and habitat destruction.

    Link

    This is great news. Many have campaigned for years to try to drag this beautiful cat back from the brink.

  • This will have happened before, historically, as the polar ice has come and gone before in geological time.

    The polar bear's greatest problem will be the impact of humans on the environment the polar bear might seek as an alternative hunting habitat. We've fished out the oceans and are occupying so much land that everything else has been pushed to extremities anyway. When these creatures try to invade to survive, humans will simply kill them.

    Conservationists will need to think of plans to accommodate arctic creatures if the ice melts far enough. Of course the ice may stop melting and refreeze. That remains to be seen over time, but humans will continue to expand and destroy the environment and consume the habitats of wildlife no matter what happens.

    Humans are unstoppable by anything but chronic natural disaster. They begin their problematic rise to overpopulation the day after, even the first few moments after. Their violence, indiscriminate breeding, high fertility and intelligence have made them capable of great disruption and misery.

    Humans have only two natural enemies now, Nature and each other.

  • The Polar bears greatest problem is disappearing ice sheets. Their hunting method involves staking out vent holes and catching seals as the come up for air.

    The breaking up of the ice sheets means they cannot range over such a large area and seals can surface anywhere.

    On a nice note the red kite is now abundant in the Cotswolds after facing extinction 20 years ago. I visited my nephew there a few months back and it was great to watch two pairs circling over head.

  • Fortunately we don't share the polar bears habitat. So if we can control global warming then they stand a good chance of recovering.

    The Red squirrel is an odd one. Female Red squirrels prefer the larger Grey males to their smaller Red ones. And strangely many of the young are born black.

    So, if Greys had found their own way to England I guess it would just be natural selection. And even though we introduced them, Red squirrels still had a choice of who they bred with. Perhaps their colour matters less to them than to us.

  • Fascinating, Zany, didn't know that.

    I've never seen a red squirrel. It's on my list of things I'd like to do/see before I die. I think only the upper parts of England and Scotland has them now.

    I believe there's an isolated colony on Brownsea island in pool harbour.

  • there are still a few dotted around the country. We have some in rural Cambridgeshire, though each year there's less. But we do have quite a number of black squirrels now.

  • All about red squirrels

    https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/redsquirrel

    The mutant blacks are apparently a threat to the greys now, so the mutants could succeed in wiping out both red and black.

    The reason red females may be choosing grey mates is possibly because there are too few red males.

    The red is indigenous to Britain and its demise is a tragedy. Interbreeding has nothing to do with human ideas of "racism". Animals usually only interbreed with others of the same species when mate choice numbers are perilously low and the breeding instinct urges them to procreate wherever possible. The female reds aren't being good little liberals and the mutant offspring are now a threat. Some may agree with this, but, personally, I strongly disagree with the extinction of species and sub-species.

    The red squirrel is a charming, shy creature. An adorable little animal of the forests that deserves to be conserved.

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