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Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to my blog that’s just about Speaking the Wildlife, Conserving it, Facts about the different animals and etcetera. Just scroll down to begin!! :)))))

[spokenwildlife-blog]

Conservation of our Wildlife

Like forests, wildlife is also a national resource, which not only helps in maintaining the ecological balance but is also beneficial from economic, recreational and aesthetic points of view. There was a time when human interference was minimum the number of wild animals was quite high and there was no problem of their protection or conservation. But, with the expansion of agriculture, settlement, industrial and other developmental activities and mainly due to greed of man, the number of wild animals gradually became lesser and lesser. With the result that several species of animals have become extinct and several, others are on the verge of being so.

Deforestation is also one of the main reasons for the loss of wildlife. Mass killings of wild animals for their meat, bones, fur, teeth, hair, skin, etc., are going on throughout the world. Therefore, the need for wildlife conservation has now become a necessity.

Population growth, expansion of agriculture and livestock raising building of cities and roads, and pollution are among the many pressures on the natural habitat of wildlife. Along with illegal hunting, habitat reduction and its degradation has threatened the bio-diversity of the regions where these are rampant.

Preservation of wildlife does not mean a blanket protection to all faunal and floral species; rather, it implies a proper, judicious control over the multiplication of plants and animals, which interact together to provide a proper environment to man whose very existence is in peril today.

Due to the irrational use of natural and biotic resources of the earth in the past, most of the wildlife has been destroyed beyond retrieval. It is our urgent duty to protect the natural splendor of ecosystems and to evolve a system of co-existence with every living creature upon the earth.

Although must countries of the world are very particular regarding conservation of wildlife, the number of wild animals is reducing day by day. World Wild Life Fund is the international agency, which is doing commendable work in promoting the protection of wildlife. There are national agencies also engaged in the conservation of wildlife.

India is a good example where several steps have been taken for wildlife conservation. It is a country of varied wildlife, where more than 500 types of wild animals, 2,100 types of birds and about 20,000 types of reptiles and fishes have been found. According to an estimate, in India, about 200 species of wild animals and birds have already become extinct and another 2,500 are on the verge of extinction.

Some of them are black buck, chinkara, wolf, swamp deer, nilgai, Indian gazelle, antelope, tiger, rhinoceros, gir lion, crocodile, flamingo, pelican, bustard, white crane, grey heron, mountain quail, etc. In India, the government and NGOs are taking keen interest in the protection of wildlife. The Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 has several provisions for the conservation of wildlife.

As many as 165 game sanctuaries and 21 national parks have been developed to protect the natural habitat and wild animals. Apart from this, a Wild Life Conservation Week is also celebrated from 7th of October every year. But still there is a long way to go in this direction

[spokenwildlife-blog]

The Tiger

TIGER, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears, And water'd heaven with their tears, Did He smile His work to see? Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

-- William Blake

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<3  <3  <3

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Penguins are birds with black and white feathers and a funny waddle.  But unlike most birds, penguins are not able to fly -- in the air that is.  Penguins spend as much as 75% of their time underwater, searching for food in the ocean.  When they are in the water, they dive and flap their wings.  It looks just like they are flying!

Penguins are shaped like a torpedo.  Their body is built for the most efficient swimming with their average speed in the water being about 15 miles per hour.

[spokenwildlife-blog]

-An adult male gorilla is the size of a human, but three times as heavy (they weigh up to 600 pounds).

-Although gorillas are considered plant eaters, their favorite food is termites -- the protein, minerals and fat of these little insects is important to their health.  The gorillas break open the termite nests and enjoy a feast at a leisurely pace. Gorillas

-When not eating termites, gorillas spend most of their time feeding on fruit -- they live on a diet of as many as 100 different types of fruit.

-A gorilla's arms are longer than its legs and they tend to walk on all four limbs, curling their hands into fists and "knuckle walking".

-Gorillas are most active during the day, but they are shy.

-At night, they make nests of grass and leaves to sleep in.

[spokenwildlife-blog]

The polar bear or the sea/ice bear are the world's largest land predators.  They can be found in the Artic, the U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway.  Each of these countries either banned hunting or established rules for how many polar bears could be hunted within its own boundaries. These rules help keep polar bear populations stable.

[spokenwildlife-blog]

Endangered Species?

1. An endangered species is one whose numbers are so small that it is at risk of extinction.

2. A species is defined as endangered or threatened when it is suffers from these factors: damage to its habitat for recreational, or entertainment purposes; disease or predation of the species; and hazards to the continued life of the species.

3. A species is declared extinct after many years of not being spotted. Because it takes so long to define an entire species as extinct, it is probable that there are many species already gone that we are unaware of.

4. Rangers are on the frontlines of conservation to protect some of the world's most endangered species like tigers, elephants and rhinos. Send thank-you cards to those who protect endangered species. 

5. Extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the “background” rate, with dozens going extinct every day.

source-https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-endangered-species

[spokenwildlife-blog]

Fun facts about my favorite animal. :)

1. In order for a new wolf cub to urinate, its mother has to massage its belly with her warm tongue.

2. The Vikings wore wolf skins and drank wolf blood to take on the wolf’s spirit in battle. They also viewed real wolves as battle companions or hrægifr (corpse trolls).

3. The earliest drawings of wolves are in caves in southern Europe and date from 20,000 B.C.

4. Wolves do not make good guard dogs because they are naturally afraid of the unfamiliar and will hide from visitors rather than bark at them.

5. The autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus (SLE), or lupus, literally means wolf redness, because in the eighteenth century, physicians believed the disease was caused by a wolf bite.

6. Wolves are the largest members of the Canidae family, which includes domestic dogs, coyotes, dingoes, African hunting dogs, many types of foxes, and several kinds of jackals.

7. Wolf pups are usually born between March and May

8. A wolf pup’s eyes are blue at birth. Their eyes turn yellow by the time they are eight months old.

9. Wolves run on their toes, which helps them to stop and turn quickly and to prevent their paw pads from wearing down.

10. Wolves have about 200 million scent cells. Humans have only about 5 million. Wolves can smell other animals more than one mile (1.6 kilometers) away.

11. Wolf gestation is around 65 days. Wolf pups are born both deaf and blind and weigh only one pound.

source- https://www.factretriever.com/wolves-facts

[spokenwildlife-blog]

Importance of Wildlife

Besides basic survival and global health, wildlife plays an important role in other facets of life like economics and recreation.

Economics A lot of cultures sustain themselves on the buying and selling of animal products or the animals themselves. Leather and fur are hot commodities, but so are goats and cows. In some communities these animals can be bartered in exchange for goods and services. Unfortunately, some wildlife dependent economics revolve around illegal industries like poaching. Poaching involves the unethical and highly illegal slaughtering of endangered or regulated animals – like elephants for their ivory tusks. Additionally, gardeners and farmers world-wide enjoy running businesses based on their ability to grow plants, flowers, food and market them to the public. Get started in your own gardening venture by taking this course on Organic Soil Growing.

Recreation On the flip side of illegal hunting (poaching) there is the legal kind of hunt. Game hunting is a widely enjoyed past time for many people around the world. Often the animals are used for their meat and hides, or their heads for trophies. While this sounds a bit sinister, hunting is actually a really resourceful way of population control. We discussed above about how out of control wildlife populations can wreak havoc on ecosystems and hunting is a well-organized solution to this problem. In many states hunters must register and receive tags for the animals they are hoping to shoot. This system provides a way for conservationists and biologists to monitor the current populations of certain animals while attaining population goals through legal hunting. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania the deer population is soaring. There are 8 bucks (male deer) to every doe (female deer) and the population is beginning to cause issues for the habitat (plant life is being destroyed) and for civilization (higher frequency of deer related car accidents).

[spokenwildlife-blog]

Wildlife tourism: dos and don’ts

Whether it’s in the rainforest, at sanctuaries or a specially designed close-up encounter, the magic of seeing animals in the wild is magical. While many organisations work hard to ensure animal welfare comes first, there are many who don’t. We explore some of the issues around wildlife tourism in Latin America.

Choosing tours

Some tour companies are actively involved in conservation, donating money from the tour to support local wildlife organisations or research teams. This doesn’t mean the tour is 100% ethical but it’s a good start. Ask about the guides too. Who are they? A good guide won’t just show you the animal; they’ll know all about it, understand the surrounding conservation issues and be able to answer your questions.

Volunteering with animals

Warning bells should sound where there’s animal interaction without animal welfare. Over in Thailand, the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi is one recent example, with tigers believed to be drugged so they’re safe to handle. Any encounters like this which promote unnecessary, contrived and potentially dangerous close contact with wild animals should be avoided. Look for ones which promote animal welfare, and where local teams of experts work there permanently. If you have any concerns about a zoo, safari, sanctuary, aquarium or circus, report it to Born Free’s Travellers’ Animal Alert.

Endangered species

There’s always a fascination with animals at risk of extinction or low in number, be it through deforestation (particularly common in Latin America), other loss of land or poaching. Look for companies which work with local communities to protect both the species and the land they need to thrive, for example, through tree-planting, tracking the animals, creating more land or education programmes. There are numerous sanctuaries for injured, displaced and orphaned animals, but anything which relies on over-interaction with the animals should sound warning bells.

Feeding

There’s a reason it’s called ‘wild’ life. When you feed, touch or stroke an animal, you’re already going against natural instinct. There may be exceptions, such as orphaned wildlife in genuine sanctuaries, but as a rule, encounters such as diving with sharks and by using chum (fish parts) should be avoided as evidence shows it changes shark behaviour, such as encouraging them to swim closer to shore.  Snorkelling trips which feed reef sharks or where guides handle the manta rays should also be avoided and/or reported.

Turtle season

It’s not surprising people are enamoured by these ancient creatures. In season, when they come to lay their eggs on the very beach they hatched on, it’s quite a sight, as when hatchlings dart to the sea. Turtle-watching activities should have turtle conservation as its focus, which means large groups, vehicles to access the beach and bright lights are all no-nos. Hotels which offer turtle-watching programmes should promote empty beaches as even beach furniture such as chairs and sunbeds can discourage turtles from coming to shore.

Swimming with dolphins and whales

If the creatures are in captivity or doing tricks, stay away; there are enough responsible holiday companies and organisations offering viewing and swimming excursions with wild dolphins and whales and you can volunteer at research centres and sanctuaries. With whale-watching, don’t expect to get too close; responsible operators know they must remain a certain distance away. In fact, don’t expect anything at all. You might see an acrobatic display or just a few tails, but that’s the beauty and beast of wildlife-watching. And if swimming with whales or dolphins, only do so if you’re a strong swimmer and snorkeller.

Antarctica

There’s a chance if you’re in Latin America you may wander south to Ushuaia and end up tempted by a cruise to the frozen continent. It’s already taking pretty good care of itself – mining and drilling are banned and there are no hunters - but climate change has affected this landscape, mostly due to the melting ice, and tourist footfall does have an effect. Make sure your tour operator is registered with IAATO, The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, which follows strict regulations, and once there, listen to guides’ advice such as keeping your distance from wildlife and not taking anything from the landscape, not even an ‘innocent’ piece of Antarctic moss.

Wildlife and tourism can benefit each other hugely. Be conscientious, support the national parks, ask questions and listen to the experts. Hopefully many of these species and landscapes will be around for years to come.

- See more at: http://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/blog/posts/wildlife-tourism#sthash.WYpvdfja.dpuf

[spokenwildlife-blog]

The quicker we humans learn that saving open space and wildlife is critical to our welfare and quality of life, maybe we'll start thinking of doing something about it.

Jim Fowler