Population of Wild Cats and Dogs on the Decline
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org
FROM
This Dish is Veg
July 2010
A new report conducted by a consortium of conservation groups including the
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Panthera and the Wildlife
Conversation Society (WCS) reveals the unfortunate news that populations of big
cats and rare canids are sharply declining due to a multitude of increasing
threats.
The study, entitled “The Fading Call of the Wild”, specifically points out
over-development of land and direct killing by poachers and other hunting for
the steep drop in numbers of wildcats such as lions, cheetahs and snow leopards
and wild dogs like the Ethiopia wolf and bush dog face.
The report also offers a solution to this growing crisis, calling for an
increase in conservation resources and “swift” policy changes that would
particularly result from the passage of the Great Cats and Rare Canids
Conservation Act. The Act is being championed by a bi-partisan group of Senators
including Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
The House passed the legislation by a two-thirds majority in April of 2009
and without a rapid response from the Senate the measure will expire later this
year.
"Great cats and rare canids are currently suffering from a variety of threats
and the positive impact from their protection will no doubt benefit them and
many other species," said Jeff Flocken, DC Office Director, IFAW. "The Great
Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Act offers viable and valuable methods to
ensure a safe future for these majestic animals."
An excerpt from the report provides a glimpse of the findings:
- A century ago there were as many as 200,000 lions living in Africa, today
there are fewer than 30,000. Lions are now extinct from 26 countries that they
formerly occupied. The single greatest threat to lions is killing by people who
own livestock. Herders and ranchers shoot, trap and poison lions across their
range.
- There are fewer than 500 Darwin's Fox living today. The animal are found only
in Chile and their restricted distribution makes them highly vulnerable to
extinction. The gentle and curious canids are not fearful of people which
contributes to their endangerment, however timber exploration and land
development are the two biggest factors that have pushed the animals to the
brink.
- There are fewer than 7,000 snow leopards in the wild today. Snow leopard
poaching is rampant with their bones and hides frequently confiscated in illegal
shipments of wildlife parts bound for markets in China and throughout Asia.
- Fewer than 500 Ethiopian wolves remain with more than half found in the Bale
Mountains. The highly social animals live in packs which makes them especially
vulnerable when their populations decrease. Entire packs are wiped out by rabies
outbreaks, while those that survive face rapid loss of habitat.
- One of the most ecologically and genetically unique animals, African wild
dogs exist in less than seven percent of their historic range, and are extinct
in 22 countries that they formerly inhabited. Accidental snaring and rabies have
decimated populations throughout Africa, and fewer than 8,000 of the animals
remain.
See a full copy of the report
here.
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