Showing papers in "Oryx in 1977"

Round Island – a Tale of Destruction

Abstract: Round Island, off Mauritius, is a classic example of the disasters that can follow the introduction of potential pests such as goats and rabbits on a small island. Their destruction of the vegetation inevitably leads to the destruction of the wildlife, and on Round Island this includes four reptiles that are endemic, several that are local to Mauritius and its islands, and several endemic plants. The author was a member of a scientific party which spent five weeks studying the island in July and August 1975.

The Simien Fox in the Balé Mountains

Abstract: An endemic species in Ethiopia, the Simien fox survives in only four areas, and is in danger of extinction in three of them, including the mountains from which it is named. Its only predator is man, and the chief causes of its decline are habitat destruction and the unfounded belief that it takes domestic stock. The Bale Mountains now hold the largest Simien fox population, which the authors estimate at between 350 and 475 animals. The urgent need is for the Bale Mountains National Park, proposed in 1970, to be gazetted.

Wildlife and Parks in Senegal

Abstract: The Director of National Parks in Senegal and a well-known European conservationist survey the wildlife, especially mammals, of this conservation-conscious West African country, where three new national parks have been declared in the last eighteen months. One of the highlights of the enormous Niokolo-Koba park is the giant Lord Derby's eland Taurotragus derbianus of which there are now over 400.

Leopards in Western Turkey

Abstract: The leopard Panthera pardus tulliana survives in south-west Turkey, but after a two-month survey there for the World Wildlife Fund, the author shows that numbers are so small and the people's attitudes so hostile that this subspecies is probably doomed to extinction; leopards found in eastern Turkey are the Persian subspecies saxicolor. Other large predators are disappearing too, and the author urges the need to establish several large reserves, for which the Turkish Government's planned wildlife survey will provide the data.

How Liberia Uses Wildlife

Abstract: Food is the main use for wildlife in Liberia, but trade in ivory, skins and live animals is also considerable. Unfortunately Liberia has neither national parks nor wildlife refuges. There are still vast areas of tropical forest, but timber companies are now opening up some areas with their new roads. The author made this survey while living in Liberia between July 1974 and August 1975.

The Abruzzo chamois

Abstract: The chamois in the Appennine Mountains of central Italy are reduced to under 400 animals scattered in a few places in the Abruzzo National Park. Shooting outside the park and the presence of livestock and shepherd dogs make it impossible for the chamois to spread. A field study is now being made and reinrroductions are planned.

The Plight of Swayne's Hartebeest

Abstract: Swayne's hartebeest, a race found only in Ethiopia, has declined seriously in recent years, and there are now thought to be fewer than 700 left. The main population at Senkele – under 400 in May, 1976 – has to compete for grazing with the domestic animals of the Galla people – 13,000 in the same month. Translocation experiments have not been successful, and the authors, who in late 1975 and 1976 made a study of the situation, believe that, while every effort to establish a reserve in the wild should be made, the threat of extinction is so great that a captive breeding group should be established immediately in a European or North American Zoo.

Conserving Shells in Kenya

Abstract: Over-collecting of shells on the Kenya coast, mainly for sale to tourists, has almost denuded some popular and accessible sites. In some formerly rich areas few molluscs can now be found, and collecting has shifted to more inaccessible sites. The authors describe an investigation they made in 1972 and 1974 into stocks held by dealers and the effects on the wild populations. They emphasise the importance of the marine national parks at Malindi and Watamu, where regular patrolling effectively prevents collecting and there are signs that cowries at least may now be re-establishing themselves. The creation of a third and much larger marine national park, near Shimoni, will protect another area rich in shells.

The Lemurs of the Comoro Islands

Abstract: The Comoro lemurs, the only wild lemur populations outside Madagascar, are protected and seem secure. But after spending seven months in the islands the author believes that they could become threatened if forest destruction, particularly of the protected forest, continues at the present rate. He urges the need to enforce both forest protection and the hunting laws.

Wildlife in Surinam

Abstract: Surinam is one of the few countries in the world where uninhabited and undisturbed tropical rain forest still covers large areas. The Government is fully aware of the importance of this natural heritage. Wildlife is protected, and eight nature reserves, ranging in size from 4000 to 22,000 ha, have been created to protect representative habitats – forest, savannas, coastal flats and important breeding beaches for Kemp's ridley, green and leatherback turtles.

Brazil's Finest National Park

Abstract: Maned wolf, giant armadillo, giant otter, giant anteater, and marsh and pampas deer are among the endangered species to be found in the Parque Nacional das Emas, the National Park of the Rheas, in Brazil. But the park is in danger of losing much of its value because boundaries were wrongly drawn and vital areas omitted. The author urges the need for international funds to help Brazil create in Das Emas a well planned, well guarded and well equipped park that will be outstanding in Latin America.

Primate Ranching – Results of an Experiment

Abstract: It is becoming increasingly difficult for biomedical research workers to get the wild primates they consider essential for their work. Successful primate ranching could help solve the problem. In 1967 a well-known animal dealer in Colombia, Mike Tsalickis of Leticia, released over 5000 squirrel monkeys on an island in the Amazon in the hope of quick breeding results. Five years later he estimated the island monkey population at over 20,000, and the experiment appeared to have been very successful; later counts, however, suggested considerable errors in the figures and that the monkeys had in fact decreased catastrophically. The authors describe this and other experiments, some successful, but only as a result of expensive supplemental feeding.

Virunga Gorillas – the Case Against Translocations

Abstract: Only about 300 mountain gorillas survive in the Virunga Volcanoes of Zaire and Rwanda. In the last Oryx Dr John MacKinnon suggested that a transfer of animals from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to introduce new blood to the Virunga population should be considered. The author of this article, who spent two years intheVirungaswith Dian Fossey studying the gorillas, points out first that we do not yet know whether the animals are, in fact, suffering from inbreeding, and suggests why they may not be so; and second that there are special difficulties about the transfer that make death of the released animals and disruption of the population the most likely results at present. Dr MacKinnon, who has read the article, agrees that there are many dangers in translocation and that it should not be done without careful consideration and expert supervision.

Reserve for Arabian Oryx

Abstract: The wildlife of the Jordanian deserts was shot out in the 1950s. As a first step towards restoring it, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan has set up a captive breeding unit at its Shaumari Reserve, eight miles from the great oasis of Azraq. Though the first occupants are likely to be gazelles, by the time this issue appears there may well be four male Arabian oryx also. These, the foundation of what it is hoped will be the first captive herd of Arabian oryx in Arabia deriving from Operation Oryx, have been presented to Jordan by the Trustees of the World Herd of Arabian Oryx, now located at Phoenix and San Diego Zoos in the USA. There are a number of other captive herds of local origin already in the Arabian peninsula, including the well known one in Qatar.

Kenya's New Primate Reserve

Abstract: Two endangered monkeys, the Tana crested mangabey and the Tana red colobus, survive only in a small area of the Tana river in northern Kenya. The Government has now created a small reserve to protect them on land given up voluntarily by the local people. But the threat of a large irrigation project upstream could still jeopardise their survival. Mr Mkunga is Warden of the new reserve. © 1977, Fauna and Flora International. All rights reserved.

China's Back Door

Abstract: A resident in Hong Kong describes this British colony's trade in wild animals, as reported by a group of interested observers who kept a watch on markets and shops, coupled with the inadequate government statistics. The bulk of the trade is with China, but imports also include rhino horn and enormous quantities of ivory from Africa.

The Scientific Results of the Oman Flora and Fauna Survey 1975. Journal of Oman Studies, Special Report. Michael Rice, 1 Lowther Gardens, Prince Consort Rd, London SW7 2AA, O. rupees 5; US $10.

Abstract: Unfortunately the taxonomy employed by the author is in places outdated, revealing a tendency to ignore the results of recent researchers and adhere to Ellerman and Morrison Scott's Palaearctic Checklist, compiled more than 25 years ago (e.g. Eptesicus isabellinus page 66). At times too the author seems not to understand the fundamental rules of zoological nomenclature how can Allactaga euphratica, properly named in 1881, possibly be a 'synonym' (page 245) of Allactaga williamsi, named in 1897? In fact the latter is a valid subspecies of the former. However, these are but minor criticisms of a work which will be immensely valuable to all in the field of mammalogy for many years to come. It will be greatly treasured in this reviewer's bookcase and both the author and publishers are to be congratulated on a first class production. The price may be high, but no true student of mammalogy can afford to be without it. DAVID L. HARRISON