The large animals in Africa are dwindling

The World Conservation Union published a report according to which over 41,000 species are in danger of extinction worldwide, with 16,000 of them being at immediate risk * Anyone who travels in Africa sees this with their own eyes News and Commentary

16 thousand species on the Red List of the World Conservation Union IUCN

Avi Blizovsky

Over 16 thousand species of plants and animals are in danger of extinction and disappearing from the earth. Of these, over 200 species have become extinct in the last year. This is according to the Red List of Threatened Species published by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) for 2007.
The annual report provides a list of species according to the extent of their danger of extinction. According to the other data, there are 41,415 species in the red list and 16,306 of them are threatened with imminent extinction. However, scientists say that we do not know exactly how many species of animals and plants are on the planet, because there is still a need to catalog and certainly many of them are on the verge of extinction. Still, the list highlights the risk to some visible species, including mammals and other large creatures.
"This year's IUCN report shows that expensive efforts made so far to save species from extinction are not enough" says Julia Marton-Leprevre, the executive director of the union. "The rate of biodiversity loss is increasing, and we must act now to significantly reduce this loss, and get out of the global extinction crisis."
The IUCN reports that the total number of recently extinct species reached 785 this year alone, and another 65 are only in captivity (animals) or in cultivation (plants). According to the 2007 Red List, a quarter of all mammals, an eighth of all birds and about a third of all amphibian species are at risk. Animals are not the only species in danger, with 70 percent of the known plants on Earth at risk of extinction.
Our close cousins, the gorillas and orangutans are classified as critically endangered (one stage before extinction according to the list's classification). Gorillas have been killed as a result of human conflict, poaching and the Ebola virus. Their rate decreased by 60 percent in 25 years. Orangutans are threatened by forest fires and logging.
The Yangtze dolphin, which was reported extinct a few weeks ago, after which it was claimed that one individual was seen in the wild, is on the critical risk list and may even have been extinct, due to the destruction of its habitat due to pollution and river traffic. Corals were also added to the list for the first time this year. Humans remain the primary cause of most extinctions, either directly due to overhunting or indirectly through the introduction of invasive species.
In Africa - the depletion is palpable

By Dr. Assaf Rosenthal

The nature reserves in Kenya are known and recognized throughout the world. Nature lovers know that the right place to watch wild animals in the wild is the Kenyan reserves. The shores of the Indian Ocean with a variety of corals, fish and mangrove groves, the semi-desert northern reserves with a unique and special variety of animals and plants, above all the Masai Mara which is considered the "largest concentration of mammal populations in the world". All of these are centers of attraction for about two million tourists a year.
Recently, we have been informed of a trend that is spreading in Africa, raising the prices of visiting reserves by hundreds of percent, the policy of high prices is based on the idea that "fewer visitors who pay a higher price will give a higher income on the one hand, on the other hand fewer visitors will cause less environmental damage".
The high price policy is implemented in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia as well as in private reserves in East Africa.
It is important to note that the prices are high only for tourists, locals pay about two percent of the price for a tourist, yet many oppose this policy claiming that "the more visitors to the reserves, the better protected and preserved the reserves will be." A claim that stands against a recent survey, according to the survey there are fewer animals in the reserves of Kenya and Tanzania, the animal population in East Africa is decreasing.

"Nairobi National Park" - one of the first reserves on the African continent has always been considered an accessible reserve, since it is on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, the zoo is a relatively small reserve (120 square kilometers) and rich in mammal and bird species, for anyone who is short on time it was a convenient opportunity to experience the wealth of nature . Recently, the "Kenya Wildlife Service" announced that the population of animals in the park is decreasing to such an extent that a number of wild animal species are becoming rare.
Of the tens of thousands of wildebeest that made a local migration in the months of July-August, only a few remained. The population of several species of deer - Thompson, Grant, Buble, Impala. dwindling; Warthogs, ostriches, kobos and others are becoming rare and difficult to watch. The main reason why the populations are dwindling and dwindling is of course human activity: massive construction around the reserve prevents freedom of movement, pumping water from the streams, cutting down trees for burning, all of these harm the animals' ability to reproduce and exist to such an extent that according to the "service" the existence of the reserve is in danger.

Another study/survey warns about the disappearance of animals from reserves, dwindling populations in reserved areas, areas/reserves whose primary purpose is to preserve and protect wild animals. The survey conducted by ecologists Tim Caro and Paul Scholte (Tim Caro and Paul Scholte) was published in the African Journal of Ecology, according to which the reserves are not fulfilling their role/purpose.
For many years, ecologists have known that large mammals are disappearing/extinct throughout the continent, this is in areas that are not protected, expanding areas that have not received protection have become hunting grounds, increasing pressure from the human population to develop agricultural and building areas, deforestation, development of mining areas, all of these cause continuous extinction of wild animals. After all, this is what the reserves were created for, to provide places of refuge where the species will be preserved, but it turns out that the pressure of the human population also affects the protected areas.

That is, after the harm to animals in open areas that are not reserves, there is an increasing harm to animals inside the reserves. In other words: even efficient preservation organizations fail to provide long-term safe existence, do not provide adequate preservation tools. The pair of ecologists reached the sad conclusion based on an examination of surveys from reserves throughout Africa, surveys in which the depletion of antelope populations stands out, and again, the main reason for harming the animals inside the reserves is human activity, the invasion of herds of cattle and sheep into the reserves pushes the feet of local Persians, at the same time the entry of herds into the reserves - into the territories of the predators The locals bring cattle and carnivores together. .. Of course to the detriment of the cattle... the shepherds take revenge and kill the predators.
Another activity that harms wild animals is hunting for meat for food, since time immemorial locals have hunted wild animals for food, but today hunting is not only for local needs but to meet the growing demand for game meat in markets and far away places, the demand reaches as far as luxury restaurants in London and Paris.
Wars between tribes and a constant increase in the human population cause human invasion into reserved areas and their reduction to agricultural areas that clog the natural migration corridors of wild animals.
According to the surveyors: "There is no easy and simple solution to depletion" but it is imperative for the authorities and bodies that protect nature to be aware of the problem and act to supervise and preserve what exists, since without appropriate activity small islands like zoos will remain in Africa, the areas of the large reserves for the wealth of animals in which they will disappear, it's a shame!

On a personal note: Anyone who travels in Africa for many years sees the deterioration, therefore, those who wish to see Africa in any way, it is better to do so as early as possible.

Dr. Assaf Rosenthal, ecologist,
Tour guide/leader in Africa and South America.
For details: Tel. 0505640309 / 077-6172298,
Email: assaf@eilatcity.co.il. .