Page 117 - Grasp English B2 (Workbook)

12 Bionomics

Anyone will be able to tell you about the dodo, a large, flightless bird which
was eaten to extinction by colonists from Holland who migrated to its home-
island of Mauritius. However, humans have been responsible for many more
animals becoming critically endangered or extinct in the 500 years since we
killed the last dodo.

Just 100 years ago, it’s thought that the last Carolina parakeet died in a zoo
in its native America. This beautiful bird had been hunted for its feathers, as
they were a popular addition to ladies’ hats at the end of the 19 century
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and had also been kept as pets, without a sustainable breeding programme.

Another example of the devastating effect humans have on a species is the
introduction of new animals into a habitat. This was the case in Australia when
the British migrated to the island in the 19 century. So they would be able
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to continue the once-popular British sport of fox-hunting, they introduced a
number of foxes into the wild. For many of Australia’s marsupials, such as
the crescent nail-tail wallaby, this predator meant the end. Another small,
nocturnal marsupial, the Eastern hare-wallaby, is likely to have become
extinct due to the colonisation of Australia. It’s unclear though whether it was
also hunted by foxes or whether it was due to habitat loss, as much of the
area where it had been seen was used in agriculture.

As recently as 2016, another Australian animal was declared extinct. The
Bramble Cay melomys, a small rat-like creature which had been found only
on a small sandy island near the Great Barrier Reef. It’s said to be the first
mammal to become extinct due to global warming, as the rising sea level
around the island is thought to have contributed to its extinction.

Unfortunately, scientists believe that the extinction of the Bramble Cay
melomys could have been avoided. However, one of the reasons that
scientists argue the Bramble Cay melomys became extinct was that it was
not as popular as better-known endangered species, like the Sumatran tiger
or the orangutan. Larger conservation organisations raise awareness of
these charismatic species, but more action needs to be taken to ensure the
survival of all creatures, great and small.

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