Hey Scholars,
This week we are covering Endangered Species and how to help them survive the danger. For this weeks post Tell us a story of an endangered species and their recovery story or the story of their demise.
Yay for story time!!!
Mr. D
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The all American bald eagle is one of our most beautiful creatures that almost became extinct due to human impact. We depleted it's habitat when we cleared the virgin forest, we shot them because people thought they were a threat to livestock, and we weakened their egg thickness from the insecticide of DDT that ran off from the crops into the water. A sudden decline of these magnificent birds made the US realize that we needed to do something to protect their already endangered numbers. Several laws were passed that banned the use of DDT, prohibited killing them for game and fined poachers. We also improved the water quality in lakes and rivers where the eagles main source of food came from. Nest protection also served vital to help guide their way back to the top. The Bald Eagle's recovery is an American success story. It no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act because its population is protected, healthy, and growing.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, in 1980, there was a young red wolf named Rufus. Rufus lived in a small forest in a town in South Carolina and spent his childhood roaming around in search of food and mischief. One day, Rufus ran far away from his den chasing a squirrel. Realizing that it was getting dark and that he was hungry, he scampered back to his den, only to find it deserted. "Mom?" he cried. "Dad?" There was no answer except for gunshots in the distance. Rufus's heart dropped down to the pads of his feet as he realized the demise of his parents. He spent countless hours alone, crying in his den. After a week of mourning, Rufus realized he had to continue living life to the fullest to honor the memory of his loving parents. He crept out of the den and went around in search for some company. He searched for hours, but he couldn't find any red wolves ANYWHERE! Suddenly, it hit him- was he one of the only red wolves left? He spent so much time with his parents and then alone that he hadn't taken the time to notice changes in the red wolf population! After an unsuccessful (and rather frightening) search, he depressingly trotted back to his empty den. When he walked inside, however, he saw a young female red wolf lying on the ground! "Hello? Who are you?" Rufus asked, puzzled. The female stood up. "I'm Nellie," she said sorrowfully, "And I think you and I are the only red wolves left!" Rufus introduced himself and the two began a friendship.
ReplyDeleteIn the middle of the night, however, Rufus heard a noise, and opened his eye. Humans were in the den! He let out a low growl as a net was thrown over him and Nellie. She began to cry. The humans were talking in hushed tones. Rufus picked up bits and pieces. "....zoo, and maybe....breeding in captivity.....untimely demise....extinction in the wild." The wolves were loaded into the back of a truck, released from the net, and were given food and water. The humans drove for a few days.
When the journey was over, the wolves were unloaded in front of a large fenced-in park area. The sign said "Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium". The humans released them from the truck and said, "Welcome to Tacoma, Washington! I know it's far from your den, but you'll be safe here." Rufus and Darla were put into a nice forest area with a small den and high fences all around.
After spending the rest of the day releasing their energy and exploring their captive area, Rufus and Nellie sauntered into the den to take a nap. As they laid down, a voice whispered from the darkness behind them, "Rufus? Is that you?" Rufus jumped up and his parents emerged, ecstatic! "I thought you were dead!" Rufus said through happy tears. "We were so worried about you," his mother said. "But this is a nice place. There's other wolves here too. Who is your friend?" Nellie introduced herself to Rufus's parents, when all of a sudden, she was tackled by more red wolves! "MOM!? DAD!?!" she yelped. After a second joyous reunion, the two families spent the rest of the evening talking about their long journeys to Washington. The two friends found out that the rest of their species had been hunted and trapped and were extinct in the wild. The families were at a red wolf captive breeding center to try and restore the population. There were 14 wolves at the center, including the families, and they were the last wild red wolves that existed.
As the days went by, Rufus and Nellie spent all their time together. One night, as they sat side by side, their paws brushed and Nellie smiled. Rufus felt a fluttery feeling inside. "Nellie," he said quietly, "I think it's time for you to know something... I love you." Nellie teared up. "I love you too," she laughed. "I always have!" The happy couple began dating and eventually were married in a beautifully simple ceremony outside of their den.
....A month after the ceremony, Nellie came up to Rufus with a huge smile on her face. "You're going to be a daddy wolf!" she cried. Rufus was overcome with a feeling of pride and excitement.
ReplyDeleteFast forward until 2003. Rufus and Nellie, now in their senior years, were sitting together as they watched their great-grandchildren run around in the den. The whole generation of the family was back in their original home of South Carolina. The once-empty abandoned den was now full of love and life. "Dad," said Rufus's daughter, Maggie, "Did you know that now there's 100 red wolves living in the wild, with another 157 in captive breeding centers?" Rufus smiled, thinking back to when he was one of the only red wolves left. "That's great progress," he told Maggie. "With patience and care, the red wolf population will one day come off of the endangered species list and return to its prime." Maggie yipped in agreement and returned to where her grandchildren were wrestling and playing.
Nellie looked at Rufus with a sweet smile. "Want to go outside and look at the stars?" she whispered. "Sure," said Rufus. As they sat side by side, their paws brushed and Nellie smiled. Rufus felt a fluttery feeling inside. "Nellie," he said quietly, "I want to make sure you know... I love you." Nellie teared up. "I love you too," she laughed. "I always have, and always will!" THE END
Information:
http://www.esasuccess.org/reports/ (Red wolf in Southeast category)
http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/jaguar.htm
ReplyDeleteThis article is on the jaguars. Jaguars are overhunted either for the sport, their spotted hide, or because they kill farmer's cattle. There was plenty of poaching going on, and there is nowadays too, and we really hurt the land it dwells on. I think if we keep going on like this, the jaguar may not survive for long...
The Virginia big-eared bat that was put on the endangered species list in 1980 with only 400 birds to 3,500 in 1979 to 18,442 in 2004. The reason it was put on the endangered species list in the first place is because of habitat destruction of the forests where they made their homes. Tch.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fws.gov/nc-es/mammal/vbigear.html
Alyssa Wade
4th APES
The bald eagle was on the verge of extinction but thanks to scientist, they have made a speedy recovery. Bald eagles were affcted by a disease called DDT. DDT is a poisonous chemical used for rightful reasons, but doing so harmed the environment tremedously. It found its way into nesting homes of bald eagle and slowly began to decline the population of the exotic birds. DDT is no longer used but when it was, it caused a huge drought in the population of the birds. But over the years, a solution was brought up to bring them back from the verge of extinction. Scientist used a method called hacking, where they would capture baby bald eagles and raise them in a secure area untill they reached a certain age then release them back to their rightful homes once they matured. This process brought over 200 bald eagles back to their respectful homes.
ReplyDelete-Mike Warren
APES 3rd
Tigers as a general species have slowly gone down a path leading to extinction. Tigers have been both hunted and forced out of their habitats leading towards their eventual extinction. Today there are less than 20,000 tigers in the world both captivity and in the wild. Many efforts have been made to protect them but it has a long way to go, most tigers are in captivity today which has lead to a possibility of a recovery through captive breeding. This method would also protect them from outside factors such as hunters and deforestation.
ReplyDeleteJulien Fogel 3rd APES
There are many Endangered species but one has a truly great history. In the great land of California the Peregrine Falcon, a majestic bird along with the Bald Eagle, is another statistic of the grand and nation-wide use of DDT as an insecticide. The Peregrine Falcon being at the top of the food chain got the "Big hit" for the affects of this chemical. DDT is a chemical that was used as an effective insecticide for crops in the 1940s and 1950s used world-wide. For many years Agricultural developers used DDT with no signs of harmful environmental effects. It was used to combat major diseases such as typhus, and malaria, found to be spread by lice and mosquitoes. Although it worked as insecticide it did more in affecting the Falcons ability to reproduce. DDT bio-magnifies as it goes up the food chain to the Falcons and from there it bio-accumulates in the fatty tissues of the Falcons, as it accumulates it "blocks" the calcium from moving to the formations of eggshells making them thin and not allowing them to survive as much as they used to. It wasn't until 1972 that they began to either ban the use of DDT or drastically Reduce the use of the chemical, but because of the nature of DDT its half-life is 2-15 years making the effects long-lasting. Still it caused a dramatic increase in the Peregrine Falcon population from 324 to 1,700 pairs between 1975 and 2000. On the 20th of August 1999 the Peregrine Falcon was officially delisted from The Endangered species List.
ReplyDeleteLuis Lopez
http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/fauna/guambroadbill.html
ReplyDeleteThe Guam Broadbill was last seen in May 1984 and was put on the endangered species list in August 1984 but it was too late. The Brown tree snake had hunted them to extinction. The Broadbill was then taken off the endangered species list in 2004.
Langston Arnold
4th period
"The Caribbean Monk Seal was the only known seal which was native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is also the only species of seal to go extinct directly due to human causes. The Caribbean monk seal was the first New World mammal to be discovered by Columbus and his company on the coast of Santo Domingo in 1494. It appears in the account of Columbus’ second voyage to America. Columbus promptly ordered his crew to kill eight of the animals, which he called “sea-wolves”, for food, paving the way for exploitation of the species by European immigrants who came in his wake. Since then, the once abundant seals have been hunted for their oil and slaughtered by fishermen, who regarded the animals as competitors. It was officially declared extinct on June 6th, 2008, although the last recorded account of the species was made at Serranilla Bank between Honduras and Jamaica in 1952. Like other true seals, the Caribbean Monk Seal was sluggish on land. This, along with its lack of fear for man, unaggressive and curious behavior, as well as human hunting, and early habitat exclusion by humans throughout their range may have dramatically speed up their decline and likely contributed to its demise."
ReplyDeletehttp://listverse.com/2009/07/25/10-recently-extinct-animals/
Troy Smith 4th APES
After nearly disappearing three decades ago, grizzly bears are recovering greatly in the Yellowstone ecosystem and no longer need the protection of the Endangered Species Act. The grizzly's remarkable comeback is the result of years of cooperative recovery efforts between federal and state agencies, and conservation groups. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears from its status as "threatened" on the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species. Four other grizzly populations in the lower 48 states have not yet recovered and will continue to be protected as threatened species under the Act. Grizzly numbers in the Yellowstone ecosystem have increased from an estimated population of 136 to 312 when they were listed as threatened in 1975, to more than 500 bears today. Yellowstone grizzlies will now be managed under a comprehensive conservation strategy developed by state and federal scientists and managers that includes monitoring of Yellowstone bears, their food, and their habitat. State and federal managers will continue to work cooperatively under this framework to manage and maintain healthy grizzly bear populations throughout the Greater Yellowstone area. The Yellowstone grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species because of loss of habitat and high mortality resulting from conflicts with humans. A scientific study team was formed in 1973, and over the years the Yellowstone grizzlies have become the most intensely studied bear population in the world. In the 1980's Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee was established. The IGBC managed bear mortality and habitat, worked to build public support, and helped develop adequate regulatory mechanisms for the bears. Since the early 1990s, the Yellowstone population has grown at a rate of 4 percent to 7 percent per year. Grizzly range in the Yellowstone Ecosystem has increased 48 percent since they were listed, and biologists have sighted bears more than 60 miles from what was once thought to be the outer limits of their range. This has been a great accomplishment and we should be proud that conservationists have the ability to protect and restore these wild animals.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Blackmon
APES 4th Period
Christian Holland
ReplyDeletehttp://www.endangered-animals.com.au/tasmanian_tiger.htm
The Thylacians or more commonly know as the Tasmanina tiger is extinct
the last known living one was in the Hobart Zoo
The Atlantic Green Turtle in on the endangered species list in many areas and is listed as threatened except for the breeding populations. This is due to the destruction and loss of nesting and foraging sites and being heavily exploited by humans. Humans have already caused the extinction of large green turtle populations, including those that once nested in Bermuda and Cayman Islands. The status of green turtle populations is difficult to determine because of the lack of knowledge about their life cycles. The number of nests deposited in Florida appears to be increasing, but it's unknown whether it's due to an increase in the number of nests or because they have started to monitor nesting beaches more closely.
ReplyDeleteMary Gorry
APES 4.
kiari fields
ReplyDeleteleopards are found mostly in africa, they have been on the endangered list. Leopards have been hunted and killed by humans which drastically decreased their species. Leopards have been hunted for attacking live stock because there was no food for them to eat and because their fur is very valuable. Because of the decrease in the species there are new protectant laws in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopa.
cite:
http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/e-animals.htm
The White Rhino
ReplyDeleteAfrica’s southern white rhinoceros was discovered in the early 1800s, and by 1892,and 75 years later, it has almost gone extinct. The white rhino’s near extinction was because of European settlers and hunters who enjoyed killing the beasts because of their impressive size.they persecute them included their habit of living in groups on open grasslands, which made them easy to find and shoot,the rhino horn fetched a good price in the Asian folk-medicine market, just as it does today.
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/endangered-species/endangered-animals-saved-from-extinction/6332
Gabriel Aquino
4th pd APES
The Baiji Dolphin, otherwise known as the Yangtze River Dolphin, is only found in the hbitat it's name is derived from. Being a species with only one habitat worldwide, it is very susceptible to extinction.
ReplyDeleteAn expedition organized by the Baiji Foundation in late 2006 was started due to evidence that this dolphin still existed in its habitat. Scientists from 6 nations on two research vessels traveled for 3500 kilometers to the Yangtze River Delta and did not find any trace of survivors of this species.
On this evidence, they declared that the Baiji Dolphin was Functionally Extinct. However, in 2007, a local man spotted one in Tongling City, China. This was the first of the species spotted since they were declared "functionally extinct." This discovery brought new hopes for the Baiji Dolphin, and caused people to buckle down on the protection of this beautiful species.
The black footed ferret was on the endangered species list since 1979. They brought them back through captive breeding and artificial insemination. Now this species is stable and growing.
ReplyDeleteCrissa Allen
APES
Period 3
The Ethiopian Wolf is a very rare canine species. They are only found in Ethiopia as the name states. They are considered to be the most endangered of all canines. Their current population is less than 200. Causes for their decrease in population are habitat destruction for agricultural uses and diseases such as rabies transmitted from domestic dogs. As for the disease problem, scientists are working on a way to make a vaccine. but because of their highly unstable population, is is very likely that they will become extinct sometime in the near future.
ReplyDelete^Ethiopian Wolf
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Perez
3rd pd APES
The Bull Elephant was discovered by European settlers and poachers in Africa. They killed and hunted the beast for it's tusks, which can be sold at a high price or traded for rare goods. The hunting continued until recently in the 1900's when people started to protect this animal and make sure it's populations rise back to sustain itself on Earth.
ReplyDeleteThe Giant Panda is an extremely rare animal only found in southwest china. The giant panda weighs from 165 to 330lb and is whiate with black patches on ita eyes, ears, shoulders, arms, and legs. This animals main diet is bamboo. Pandas are being poached and their habitats are being destroyed which is the only place where large amounts of bamboo are grown, and the bamboo forests are being cut down. There are only 100 to 2000 pandas left in the wild.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?gr=M&mp=1&sp=321
Rhiannon Graham
APES 3
Once upon a time, there were a number of humpback whales roaming the seas freely without a care in the world. It was a pretty dandy life, until they went into one of the hardest 40 years they'd have to face. During this time, there was a ridiculous amount of hunting going on, and not many were making it out alive. Fortunately, laws and bans were made, in order to protect this species after the numbers dropped so drastically. There are now about 40,000 adults and 15,000, and bans on such crazy hunting like before. Now, these whales can live happily ever after
ReplyDeleteGrizzly bears are large predators with a hump on their that distincts it from Black Bears. In the historic range in the lower 48 states it reduced itself to 2%.The biggest threat to Grizzly Bears is human-caused mortality. The contact between bears and humans can lead to the lethal removal of the species. Also, the effect that climate change has on its important natural food sources. As the bears loose their natural food source they begin to look for substitute food sources that are generally closer to humans. Grizzly Bears are also accidently killed by hunters due to being mistaken as Black Bars which are legal to kill. Habitat degradation, also promotes a threat to Grizzly Bears, due to development, logging, road-building, and energy and mineral exploration. Defenders of Wildlife ceated The Defenders of WIldlife Grizzly Compensation Trust in 1997. A fund was built to promote initiatives to prevent contact between bears and humans in 1999. These programs help to focus on keeping bears alive and encouraging habitat sustainability. In April of 2007, The Yellowstone population of Grizzly Bears wwrre recovered and removed from the threatened species list. From 1975 to 2005 the Grizzly Bear species increade from 200 to 500 in the Yellowstone area.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.esasuccess.org/reports/
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/grizzly_bear.php
Joy Freeman <3
3rd Period APES(:
Pyrenean Ibex....
ReplyDeleteWeird horned creatures, this one is a subspecies of Spanish Ibex. Little is known about why the numbers of the Ibex initially started dropping, though theories range from hunting to failure to sufficiently adapt. From 1910 and onward their recorded numbers never rose above 40, putting their species in peril constantly. The last know ibex died in 2000 by a falling tree. Her name was Celia.
A note of hope...
In 2009 the Pyrenean Ibex was momentarily UN-extinct. How you may ask? Humans successfully cloned a Pyrenean Ibex. Unfortunately the small creature died shortly after birth due to breathing complications. The species is now re-extinct.
This story was on a lizard called the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard. It resided in an area where oil was being extracted and its numbers were getting so low that it was being considered as being put on the Endangered List. Congress would decide wether or not to ignore the lizard's poplution decline and continue collecting oil or close down the refinery.
ReplyDeletehttp://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/27/will-oil-industry-become-an-endangered-species-in-west-texas/
Anthony Dudley
4th Period APES
JT said.....
ReplyDeleteOnce not so long ago there was a certain type od pigeon called the passenger pigeon. Theyre were large amounts of them everywhere, they made massive nests and felw in huge flocks. But as modern technology came, thats when their numbers started decreasing. With telegraphs thir location could be located and noticed easily. They were heavily pursued and were shot down for hunting. They were hunted so much that eventually today there are none left
3rd P