Conservation of Endangered Wildlife

Conservation of Endangered Wildlife

Kim Robbins
Conservation of Endangered Wildlife 2

There are many animals that inhabit our Earth that are nearing extinction. Conservational

efforts are made to help ensure that animals continue to reproduce normally and do not go

extinct. The crisis between economic growth and allowing normal animal patterns is an ever-

growing issue in todays modern world. Roads must be built to allow transport which brings

economic growth to cities. On the downside, roads often lead to animal casualties. Agriculture

brings wealth and food to the villages, but is often disrupted by crop raiding species like

elephants. In return, the villagers will kill the elephants. Big cats often find themselves as targets

as theyve eaten a farmers livestock, or they are hunted for trophies. The fight continues for

animals through tourism. According to the study (Moorhouse, Dahlsjo, Baker, DCruze,

Macdonald, 2015), tourism accounts for 9% of global GDP and comprises 1.1 billion tourist

arrivals per annum. Visits to wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) may account for 2040% of

global tourism (p. 1).

There are 4 types of WTAs: free-range wildlife watching, captive wildlife tourism like

zoos and aquariums, hunting and fishing. Wildlife tourist attractions are a positive thing for a

local area. If the WTAs are working correctly, they allow growth of a species and economic

growth for an area. They employ workers who then educate visitors on the importance of animal

conservation. If the animals are properly cared for, they give positive attitudes towards WTAs

and generating more revenue through donations. Adversely, improper WTAs can cause stress

leading to reproductive and feeding issues and limiting the growth of a species.

Unfortunately, there isnt a global animal inspector for wildlife tourist attractions.

However, a study was done on 24 WTAs by Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and funded by

the World Animal Protection. In the study, they excluded zoos because of the already known

familiarity of a zoo to a common person. They also excluded hunting and fishing. They took a
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list of known WTAs and rated them for their welfare of the animals and conservational impact.

They used informational reviews on TripAdvisor from park visitors. The types of WTAs spanned

from captive to wild attractions. Sanctuary, farmed wildlife and street performance were also

included in the study. The authors used a chart to demonstrate the score for the conservation and

welfare ratings ranging from 1-3. The Moorhouse et al. (2015) study shows welfare was scored

based off: 'five freedoms' of captive animalsfreedom from hunger and thirst; from

discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; to behave normally; from fear and distress. (p.6) The

team then took the reviews from TripAdvisor and rated the conservational factor what visitors

took from their experience. 14 out of 24 of the attractions had both negative impacts on welfare

and conservation. Places like crocodile farms had negative reviews due to overcrowding, but had

positive effects on conservation status. Animal sanctuaries scored the highest on both levels,

allowing the animals the freedom to interact and reproduce with each other freely. The

predicted future increases in global tourism, indicate an urgent need for regulation, in the form of

an accreditation or certification schemes, policy instruments (e.g. taxation or quota fixing; or

agencies to inspect and sanction WTAs globally (Moorhouse et al., 2015, p.12). The purpose of

this study was to audit WTAs to find out if they are really helping endangered species.

Another conservational effort is achieved through hunting. Unlike the Eastern part of

Africa, the West is not as big on tourism. The West often chooses hunting programs instead.

Visitors from Western Europe, America and Russia, visit and pay for a trophy hunt. The money

is said to be put back into furthering conservational efforts of Western lions and generating

income for the area. West African lions have been endangered since 2004. A team conducted

research on the lion harvest rate from 1999-2014. The results from the study were initially a

decrease, then a stable, consistent number of lions remain in the general population. Trophy
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hunting didnt increase the growth in that region. Decrease in population of lions is being

attributed with the following: dry seasons, less wild prey for food, over-poaching, conflicts with

local communities, pollution and damage to habitats. Over-hunting of a species can alter the sex

ratio of a group, changing normal behaviors and causing the population to decline. The national

parks that are supposed to protect the lions lack the resources and income to pay guards to watch

the animals (Bouche et al., 2016, p.7). According to Priya (2017), These guards lack basic

amenities such as drinking water, and must face hardships such as night duty, 365-day duty and

lack of proper mobile-phone network (p. 203). Bouche et al. (2016) claim in the article, Many

areas are not truly protected and act only as paper parks (p.12). The authors also encourage the

importance of restriction of how many lions can be killed within so many square feet. They also

note the restrictions on the age of a lion to be killed must be minimally of 6 years of age and not

known to any pride. Some countries like Australia and France have banned imported lion

trophies. Other places like Western Europe and the United States are reviewing the conservation

facts before finalizing their choice.

On the other hand, others argue its not poaching at all that is decreasing the lions

numbers, its the water or lack thereof. Less water encourages bigger cats to seek food and water

near cities, causing human interaction which ultimately leads to their death. Maintaining water

access point across protected areas will allow lions to live naturally away from humans. The only

downside to this is that protected areas often dont cover enough land mass to ensure protection

of larger species. Often, larger species end up in pastures. Kenyas wildlife association works

alongside pasture owners, enhancing benefits that landholders can get from livestock in

conservancies with both livestock and wildlife and by investing in various conservation friendly

enterprises (Ogutu, Kuloba, Piepho, Kanga, 2017, p. 25). Working with pasture owners creates
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a positive attitude towards animals and helps the association keep track of the total number of

animals in the population.

Additionally, car interactions are responsible for the decrease in populations of animals

globally. Cars can have a direct impact on an animals life through contact and through noise

pollution. Illinois is also a mid-western state and known for its agriculture. With the destruction

of natural habitats for farm lands and increase in roads, animal populations struggle to retain.

Increasing the number of roads often increases the number of animal casualties. In the scholarly

journal, Maximizing the Wildlife Conservation Value of Road Right-of-Ways (ROWs) in an

Agriculturally Dominated Landscape, conservationists work with the Department of

Transportation to conduct a study on the populations of birds and small mammals on certain

roads within the state. McCleary, Holdoff, Hubbard, and Peer (2015) obtained the following

information: 1) large roads (highways/interstates with 4 lanes) with high traffic (46504700

vehicles per day), 2) large roads with medium traffic (100400 vehicles) 3) large roads with low

traffic (2550 vehicles per day), 4) small roads (two lanes with no shoulder) with high traffic

(21003000 vehicles per day), 5) small roads with medium traffic (100200 vehicles per day),

and 6) small roads with low traffic (025 vehicles per day).(p. 3) The team took measurements

of the vegetation along the sides of roads and documented all results. They then set up baited

traps for smaller mammals in certain areas, comparing the results of taller vegetation verses

shorter. Two observers recorded bird populations as they came through regions. The observers

did not conduct studies on days when it was too windy or rainy for bird species. All studies were

conducted during peak busy hours.

The study concluded, that wider ROWs (preferably across the road from equally wide

ROWs) with thicker and taller vegetation and adjacent to roads with low traffic volume provided
Conservation of Endangered Wildlife 6

the best available conditions for small mammal and bird communities adjacent to agricultural

crops (McCleery et al., 2015, p. 14). The scientists recommend the easiest way to increase

populations is to do less mowing along roadsides. Mowing less increases a more diverse

ecosystem, allowing butterflies, moths and more birds. The authors also note that it may have

positive effects on saving money on the management of roadsides. The authors also encourage

the widening of the road sides along less traveled roads. Widening road sides along the highway

to do not encourage animal activity as most animals avoid the highway due to noise and those

that do encounter those areas are putting themselves in more danger.

Finally, there is one more effort that is important to the future of conservation. Doctors

conducted a study on the sperm preservation by freeze drying. Most sperm are frozen

cryogenically. The issue with this is natural disasters. To ensure the sperm stays intact, it must be

kept cold with nitrogen and dry ice. If a natural disaster hits and knocks off the power or it

floods, your samples can be lost. When the sperm is freeze dried, it is immotile. The sperm can

only be used to inject directly into an oocyte via in vitro fertilization. Sperm preservation can

help with assisted reproduction of endangered species for generations to come. Its also better for

traveling. The authors believe, freeze-dry zoo is the ultimate method to protect wild species

from extinction, not only mammals but also birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. (Kaneko,

Ito, Sakamoto, Onuma, Inoue-Murayama, 2014, p.3) Many animals that are in enclosure will not

freely mate due to stressors, so often veterinarians use in vitro fertilization and thus allowing

more animals to be born.

As a result, from sharing our growing world, the outcome of many of the endangered

inhabitants of the Earth is not confirmed. Conservational efforts are being taught globally to

ensure the population for decades to come. It is important that local governments and road
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managers work together to ensure safe passage for the natural inhabitants of the region. The

auditing of world wildlife tourist attractions would allow stricter guidelines for visitors and

animal welfare. The attractions could require more accreditation and agencies for inspection.

Local governments should manage their documentation from trophy hunting thoroughly and

make certain that water access is available in multiple locations. Zoos and local wildlife parks

should encourage sperm collection of endangered species and preserving it through freeze-dried

techniques for years to come.

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REFERENCES

Priya, S. (2017). Wildlife conservation efforts: Sanjay Gubbi wins Whitley Award

2017. Current Science, 113(2), 202-204. Retrieved November 19, 2017.

Kaneko, T., Ito, H., Sakamoto, H., Onuma, M., & Inoue-Murayama, M. (2014).

Sperm Preservation by Freeze-Drying for the Conservation of Wild Animals. PLoS

ONE, 9(11), 1-4. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0113381

Moorhouse, T. P., Dahlsj, C. A., Baker, S. E., Dcruze, N. C., & Macdonald, D. W.

(2015). The Customer Isnt Always RightConservation and Animal Welfare Implications

of the Increasing Demand for Wildlife Tourism. Plos One, 10(10), 1-16.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138939

Bouch, P., Crosmary, W., Kafando, P., Doamba, B., Kidjo, F. C., Vermeulen, C.,

& Chardonnet, P. (2016). Embargo on Lion Hunting Trophies from West Africa: An

Effective Measure or a Threat to Lion Conservation? Plos One, 11(5), 1-17.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155763

Ogutu, J. O., Kuloba, B., Piepho, H., & Kanga, E. (2017). Wildlife Population

Dynamics in Human-Dominated Landscapes under Community-Based Conservation: The

Example of Nakuru Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Plos One, 12(1), 1-30.

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doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169730

Mccleery, R. A., Holdorf, A. R., Hubbard, L. L., & Peer, B. D. (2015). Maximizing

the Wildlife Conservation Value of Road Right-of-Ways in an Agriculturally Dominated

Landscape. Plos One, 10(3), 1-19. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120375