Back from the brink: endangered species successes

[Simon Hampel]

Back from the brink: endangered species successes – Features – ABC Environment (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Human interaction with endangered species isn't always a death sentence for the animals. With careful coaxing and vigilance, some species have been brought back from the edge of extinction to thrive once again.

KNOWN LOCALLY AS 'AL MAHA', the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is a regal-looking beast that features in Arabic poetry and paintings. Once common, this large antelope has wide hooves that allow it to move across shifting sands, and the reputed ability to smell water from many kilometres away. During the 20th century, hunting took a heavy toll and when the last wild individual was shot in 1972, the species was declared 'extinct in the wild'.

That could have been the final chapter of the oryx's story, but the species was of symbolic significance to many in the Arabian peninsula. A few animals, caught as wild numbers dwindled, were brought together with oryxes from royal collections in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Successful breeding programs saw the captive herd grow. In Oman in 1982, the first oryx were reintroduced to their traditional lands.

In June 2011 the International Conservation Union, IUCN, announced that the number of wild oryx had hit the 1,000 mark and that the species was well on the way to recovery. It has been reclassified from 'endangered' to 'vulnerable' - the biggest success ever for an animal that was once classified as 'extinct in the wild'.

... (more)

 

[Hix]

Great article.

Jersey Zoo (as JWPT) has had great success with critical species like the echo parrot, mauritious kestrel and pink pigeon. And repairing the ecosystem on Round Island (admittedly, they just removed the goats and rabbits - the environment recovered pretty well by itself).



Hix

 

[DDcorvus]

The recovery of round island is still far from done and not a process that happened by just removing the rabbits and goats. Some of the remaining flora actually declined when these were removed because they needed to be grazed. Therefore tortoises were introduced to fill up the niche that was left behind by their extinct cousins. Also the introduction of fodys went not as planned as a lot of them were eaten by snakes.

The Mauritius Wildlife Foundation did a great job there but the work is far from finished.

 

[Hix]

The recovery of round island is still far from done and not a process that happened by just removing the rabbits and goats.

I am aware of this, but my comment was based upon the fact that originally they thought they would need to replant extensively (from memory, one species was thought to be extinct, but suddenly appeared in numbers once the grazing pressure was removed), but the vegetation regenerated better than they thought. I didn't mean to imply that removal of rabbits and goats was all that was necessary (although I can see that is exactly what I said I my previous post).

Some of the remaining flora actually declined when these were removed because they needed to be grazed. Therefore tortoises were introduced to fill up the niche that was left behind by their extinct cousins. Also the introduction of fodys went not as planned as a lot of them were eaten by snakes.

I wasn't aware of any of this. Which tortoises were previously on the island? And I presume the snakes were Keel-scaled boas - they probably hadn't had anything but lizards to feed on for a long time and would have appreciated fodys.



Hix

 

[DDcorvus]

The boas enjoying the fodys were indeed Keel-scaled ones. I can imagine they like the change of spice . On Mauritius there were 2 types of tortoises a saddle-backed one and a dome-shaped one. No clue if these species also lived on Round Island or if Round Island had their own species, but I was told that the island had both varieties and that the plan still is to introduce both type of tortoises to Round Island. Dome-shaped ones are already introduced but the only Saddle-back species that is left is a Galapagos one.