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ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES IN SOUTH AMERICA



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ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES IN SOUTH AMERICA

The South American continent houses a good number of both plant and animal species, especially in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Some of the animal species have been exposed to danger because of habitat loss, poaching, competition, wildfire among others.



Some of the endangered animal species on the continent of South America are: Amazonian manatee (sea cow), Andean cat, bald uakari, rhinoceros iguana, giant armadillo, giant otter, golden lion tamarin, jaguar, as well as long-tailed otter, mantled howler monkey, margay, marine otter, ocelot, short-tailed chinchilla, thin-spined porcupine, Southern River otter, West Indian manatee, yellow-tailed woolly monkey. Others include scarlet macaw, quetzal, vicuna, giant anteater, bespectacled bear, blue and yellow macaw and galapagos tortoise.

  • Jaguarundi


The Jaguarundi which is native to Central and South America is enlisted as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jaguarundi is a small slender cat with a brownish, grayish, or reddish fur and small ears. It is still fairly common in Arizona though recently, it has not been any confirmed sighting. The jaguarundi belongs to the family Felidae in the order Carnivora. It is classified as Puma yaguarondi or as Herpailurus yaguarondi. Poaching, competition and habitat destruction are the major threats to Jaguarundi.


  • The Uakari


The uakari is an arboreal species of monkey that is localised in the rain forests of Brazil and Peru. Uakaris are 35 to 50 cm (14 to 20 in) long and have long, shaggy hair. They do not have hair on the facial skin which brightens with colour when the animals feel threatened. Due to habitat destruction and their capture for pet trade, the uakari is currently listed as an endangered species.


  • Tamarin

Golden Tamarin Monkey Emperor Tamarin Monkey



Tamarin is a genus of monkey which is native to Central and South America. Tamarins are members of the marmoset family called Callitrichidae, but the cotton-top tamarin is classified as Saguinus oedipus. What distinctively differentiates tamarins from other members of their family is the length of their canine teeth which are longer than their incisors. Tamarins dwell among the forest woods or scrubs and they climb in the same manner like squirrels. Tamarins tend to travel in small groups. Though they are timid but they show little fear of man, as they prolific city suburbs. Some species, including the cotton-top tamarin, are listed as endangered.

  • Manatee (Trichechus inunguis)

This endangered species of mammal is enlisted endangered animal in South America, essentially in the Amazon River Basin because it is almost phased out by the local people through hunting. South American manatee or Amazonian ox manatee as it is fondly called is a rare manatee which is localised in the Amazon River and its major tributaries in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. In recent time, manatee population has reduced drastically because of organised poaching by the indigenous people.

Also, during the early part of twentieth century, manatees were commercially hunted for their hides, which were used for making water hose and machine belts. Thanks to legislation, which has protected manatees from extinction and of course, a Brazilian reservoir where a number of them are being bred.


  • Margay

Margay, which is also known as tiger cat and tree ocelot, is a small member of the cat family. It belongs to the family Felidae in the order Carnivora. It is classified as Leopardus wiedii. This rare cat with extraordinary agility is localised in tropical and subtropical rain forests, from northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Its hind feet are flexible enough to rotate 180 degrees and this gives the cat exceptional agility. Margay is an arboreal animal and it hardly descends to the forest floor. Deforestation, which destroys its natural habitat, endangers margay. Although margay is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), yet it is being hunted illegally for its pelts.

CAUSES OF THEIR ENDANGERMENT

Across the continents of the world, there are some identified reasons why majority of the animals in the world are endangered. Of a great negative impact is the widespread wildlife habitat destruction to their survival. This is because a certain species of animal is well adapted to a certain habitat and just a little alteration of the normal ecological balance of such habitat will ultimately affect the colony of such animal species. Deforestation, mechanised farming, urbanisation and overgrazing will ultimately result in habitat loss and thus expose some animal species to danger.

Intra and inter competitions for food and survival among animal species of the same fold and between different species of animals, in a way, also endanger some animal species. For instance, rabbits and hares are preyed upon by cheetahs, while cheetahs’ cubs are also being preyed upon by lions and hyenas. Also, the introduction of exotic species (which are viewed as interlopers in their new environment) into another environment might result into the disruption of the new environment; for instance, NUTRIA, that was introduced to the coastal areas of the southern United States from South America, became a threat to the native species.

Just as it is in biological warfare, threat to animals sometimes is politically motivated; this was the case of the buffalos of the great plain Western USA. Before the 1890s, record has it that up to 60 million herds of buffalos ranged freely within the great plain. Sadly enough, their populations declined sharply due to ruthless killing to feed the workers constructing the transcontinental railroads. Though, many believed that the massacre was primarily motivated to force the native dwellers of the vast plain onto reservations.

Soil compaction, soil erosion, desertification, disease, pollution and unfavourable local climatic conditions do affect the proliferation of animal population negatively as they may greatly alter or even eliminate wildlife habitats. Poaching by humans and hunting with sophisticated weapons have driven some animal species like the quagga into extinction. Biological warfare just like meteoric impact could lead to large scale extinction of animal species just like dinosaurs are believed to have been wiped out by meteoric impact. A typical large scale mass extinction of animal and plant species occurred in Phanerozoic time. Above all, humans’ needs for meat, skin and teeth give rise to the uncontrolled killing of many of the wildlife on the Red List.

WAYS TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES

It is imperative to praise the efforts of all the naturalists and conservationists as well as organised bodies such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund and individuals who have painstakingly work round the clock to ensure that most endangered animals are protected, conserved and prevented from extinction; for instance, the populations of the black-footed ferret and the California condor are revamped, and so are many other endangered animal species, through Nature preserves and zoos.

International bodies have been working with governments of concerned countries to establish wildlife conservation parks, ranches and reserves to revamp the dying extant species of the life-threatening animal species; also, appropriate legislations are enacted and promulgated to protect wildlife within their protected terrains. Such parks are prolific in Nigeria, from Yankari Game Reserve to Old Oyo National Park, and from Kainji Lake National Park to Cross River National Park. The Yellowstone National Park (the world’s first natural park) and the Amazon Basin National Parks are found on the North and South America continents respectively, and the Gunung Leuser National Park in Asia. Similar parks and reserves are established in other continents and nations of the world.

Not only is it important that the legislations should protect endangered animal species, but that their habitats should be restored and protected is equally important. Although there have been calls to reduce threats to wildlife like those enacted by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Endangered Species Preservation Act, Lacey Act (enacted by the US Congress), Henry David Thoreau, and Harriet Hemenway, these efforts should be more concerted and intensified so that they can bring about reduced endangerment and extinction orchestrated through habitat loss, pollution, poaching and the likes. People should be encouraged to learn about endangered species in their localities.

In order to save the environment from pollution so as to arrest its attended effects, agricultural, mining, petroleum exploitation and other related activities should be carried out adhering strictly to the best practices. Also, used materials should be recycled to reduced waste volume and pollution. People should be sensitised to always respect animals’ rights even while on the highways; besides, they should also be sensitised not to support the trade in illegal wildlife parts such as tortoiseshell, ivory and coral as well as products made from furs of tigers, polar bears, sea otters and other endangered wildlife.

If all these measures are observed and strictly adhered to, the world may become like the Garden of Eden once again. The endangered animal species will once more flourish and abound in their native and natural habitats. The environment also will be healthy as the issues of pollutions will have been considerately taken care of. We are earnestly looking forward to when humans will once more be breathing unpolluted air and of course live to appreciate the world of diverse animal and plant species around them.



MEASURES TAKEN BY NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES

Owing to the fact that the rate at which the endangered animal species in Nigeria were exploited was alarming and coupled with the need to have these animal species for academic reason (learning purpose) in such fields as Zoology and Ecology, as well as their economic (cultural and tourism) potentials, the government of Nigeria came up with a number of measures to protect these endangered animal species. Based on these, a number of wildlife parks, reserves, ranches and zoos were established in strategic places throughout the country.

There is hardly any federal university in Nigeria without a zoo or biological garden where a number of endangered animal species abode. These animals are well tendered and their populations have since been revamped; a classical example of these zoos is the famous University of Ibadan Zoo in Ibadan, Oyo State. Nigeria is a country with thirty-six states structure and a federal capital territory, with each state having at least one zoo. Most often, the zoos are usually attached to universities to enhance efficient learning. Others in this group are the Agodi Zoological Garden, Ibadan Oyo State; Calabar Zoo, and Obudu Cattle Ranch - Cross River State; Gashaka-Gumpti National Parks - Taraba, Taraba State; Jos Wildlife Safari Park - Plateau State; as well as Kainji National Games Park, and Zugurma Park - Niger State; Kano Zoological Garden - Kano State; Kyarimi Park - Borno State; Ogba Zoo - Edo State; Nekede Botanical and Zoological Gardens - Imo State; and the list continues.

Apart from the zoos, Nigeria now, according to the National Park Service Act No. 46 of 1999, has eight (8) renowned National Parks that are located across the geographical divides of Nigeria, from the core north to the south-south of the country, and from the western half to the eastern fringe. These parks were created out of more than 32 reserves (both forest and game) in the country. They are so called national parks partly because of their importance to national history and unity; and also because of their immense size, for they cover almost one-third of the total landmass of the country. A brief overview of these national parks alongside their area landmass and where they are located is presented in the table below.

Table Showing Renowned National Parks in Nigeria

S/N

NATIONAL PARK

AREA LANDMASS

LOCATION

1

Chad basin National Park

230,00 hectare

Maiduguri, Borno State

2

Kainji Lake National Park

523,000 hectare

New Bussa, Niger State

3

Cross River National Park

400,000 hectare

Calabar, Cross River State

4

Old Oyo National Park

253,000 hectare

Oyo, Oyo State

5

Gashaka – Gumti National Park

586, 000 hectare

Serti, via Yola, Taraba State

6

Yankari National Park

225,400 hectare

Bauchi, Bauchi State

7

Okomu National Park

18,100 hectare

Arakhuam, Edo State

8

Kamuku National Park

11,200 hectare

Nguru, Kano State



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