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A brief report of the animals that are endangered biology essay
A brief report of the animals that are endangered biology essay
A brief report of the animals that are endangered biology essay
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The Hippopotamus: Endangered Species Report
Jason Wapiennik Mr. Trippeer, Biology January 6th, 1997
The ban on elephant ivory trading has slowed down the poaching of elephants, but now poachers are getting their ivory from another creature, the hippopotamus.
For the poacher, the hippo is an easy target. They stay together for long hours in muddy water pools, as many as eighty-one can be found in a single square mile.
This concentration is so big it's only second to that of the elephant.
Poachers kill the animal, then pick out the teeth and sell them for as much as seventy dollars per kilo. This is a very cheap price. Elephant ivory sells for as much as five-hundred dollars per kilo. The reason the price-per-kilo is so slow is because hippo ivory is very brittle compared to the much stronger elephant ivory.
Elephant ivory is no longer at the biggest risk for poaching; hippo ivory is.
Eastern Zaire once had one of the largest hippo populations in the world, around
23,000 hippos. According to a count done in 1994, this number has now dropped to 11,000. The 1989 ban on elephant ivory is the main cause attributed to the exponential rise to hippo ivory trade.
"European and African activists are petitioning advocacy groups, including last week's annual Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Florida, for a ban on hippo poaching. But they say they're a long way from putting an end to the slaughter." (Howard & Koehl)
The hippopotamus is an enormous amphibious animal with smooth, hairless skin.
Hippos can be found in Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and a few can also be found in
Sierra Leone and Guinea. Hippos used to be found anywhere south of the Sahara
Desert where they could find enough water and plenty of room to graze. Now, due to poachers and predation they are confined to protected areas, but they can still sometimes be seen in many major rivers and swamps.
Hippos need water that is deep enough to cover them, but it also has to be very close to a pasture. They must wallow in the water because their thin, hairless skin is vulnerable to overheating and dehydration. Hippos were once thought to sweat blood. Actually, hippos secrete a pinkish colored oil that helps them keep their skin moist in the hot African climate.
Hippos are herbivores. They prefer the short grass of African plains to any other possible food. They normally eat up to eighty-eight pounds of this grass nightly, which they mow away a large patch at a time with their twenty-inch
I visited the Oriental Institute of Chicago Museum, which contains various artifacts, I choose a Model Hippopotamus from Egypt. The hippopotamus is dated to Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, circa 1878 BC. According to wall text at the Oriental Institute of Chicago, hippopotamuses in Egyptian culture represented the enemies of the ruler. I was attracted to the Model Hippopotamus based on its size/shape, lines, texture, and the color.
Wildlife conservationists are constantly working to supervise the rivers, forest, and other natural resources of Africa in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management. In Kenya, laws against trophy hunting has assisted these conservationists in maintaining wildlife populations. However, park rangers face a huge battle against the illegal poaching of these rare trophy animals, such as lions and elephants. In Asia, the demand for ivory continues to surge, despite the long-time ban on its international trade. The demand is so high that the Tanzanian government has developed plans to construct a commercial highway through the Serengeti in order to more efficiently trade goods with Asia (“The Need for Serengeti Watch”). However, the highway will also provide a faster route to the coast for ivory smugglers. The controversy surrounding the highway and its positive or negative effects on the economy, Tanzania as a whole, and the Serengeti is countless. Despite the debate over its benefits and...
Hippopotami belong to a group of animals called artiodactyls. This group of animals, which includes deer, camels, sheep, pigs, and cows, are “named for the even number of fingers and toes...
pollution is a major factor when it comes to the affect on Hippopotamuses in east Africa.
A social outrage has broken recently amid the scandal of Cecil the Lion’s death. Cecil was illegally hunted and killed by the American dentist Walter Palmer. Since then, it has caused the world to change their minds on the effects of trophy hunting. Succeeding the death of the renowned lion, a recent poll in America displays that on a three to one margin, the respondents said they would rather be tourists in a country that prohibits trophy hunting, instead of one that does not. The debate is ascending as more hunters proudly present their ‘trophy’ on social media. Many nature conservatives and animal protection agencies are raising awareness because of the fact that Cecil died in a meaningless and violent manner.The problem is not only in America, but around the globe. Trophy hunting should be illegal in the world because it is merely killing animals without a meaningful purpose, and it produces harmful effects to the environment.
The ivory trade is devastating towards elephants and is only growing in time despite efforts. According to Elephant Daily, an elephant is killed every fifteen minutes, and in the last 4 years poachers have killed up to a third of the population. By 1989 the population had fallen again to 600,000 and that is when action began to take place.... ... middle of paper ... ... Crop damage in particular has caused a huge strain on humans and elephants, farmers need to protect their livelihoods and elephants need a place to roam free without being a burden.
Many predators kill thousands of farm animals each year and need to be put to a stop. People...
Governments across the globe must work together as an international coalition to stop poaching and illegal trade of endangered animals worldwide.
Natural predators assist in maintaining this delicate balance by killing on the weakest and sickest animals. However, hunters kill healthy animals who they can find to satisfy their different needs including killing animals as a form of game, trophy or the famous poaching of animals for tusks. The poaching of elephants and rhinos for tusks worldwide is believed to have increased the number of animals without tusks in Africa (Whitfield, 2003). In the last 40 years in Canada, hunting has resulted in bighorn horns of sheep to fall by 25% (Whitfield, 2003). In case hunting of animals, especially poaching continues globally, the number of animal species will decrease rapidly, resulting in extinction of specific species, such as the African rhinos and elephants. A report in Nature Magazine suggests that the decrease of animals may have an effect on the population’s genetics because the weakest animals will pass weak genes to their offspring causing an entire species to have defects. Therefore, it is better for hunters to let nature kill off the weak and sick animals for the preservation of the
What exactly does the term endangered species denote? There can be numerous definitions that correctly describe the term. It is any plant or animal whose survival is in jeopardy of becoming extinct. Extinction, of course, is when the species no longer exists, and there is no way it can be brought back to this earth. In most cases, the cause of this displeasing calamity is generally human-related.
Yet, despite these controversies culling should not be practiced due to economical, ecological and socio-cultural reasons. Such as, failed culling (money wastage), eco-tourism, disruption of ecosystem, increase viral spread, disrespecting cultures and inhumanity. However, culling is still practiced today. The only way to stop is by finding a balance between the two opposing
The exotic pet trade is a vast industry and is one of the largest sources of criminal earnings. These animals are smuggled and sold in stores, auctions, or on the internet. Many animals do not even survive the long journey from their habitats; and the ones that do usually suffer ...
...lled by poachers. Even the White Rhino population was hit hard because of poachers seeking their priceless horns. The Los Angeles Times reported that,” The world’s largest surviving population of white rhinos suffered its heaviest toll on record last year when poachers killed more than one- thousand of the threatened animals to feed an international market for trinkets and potions made from their horns” (Williams 1). According to the WWF, The population of the White Rhino has diminished to a mere twenty- thousand. The worst part is the rare tusks are being used for the most unbelievably useless products. The number of White Rhinos are so scarce that even the killing of one- thousand is a huge blow to the delicate and slowly increasing population. It is truly disappointing that such a majestic species is being sacrificed due to the high demand of their rare tusks.
The African elephant’s range has declined by over 50 percent since 1979 – and their populations are breaking up