Carnivore Conservation Flashcards
Characteristic features of carnivores
Long sharp canines Claws Keen olfactory sense Forward facing eyes Short digestive system Bodies adapted for eating meat (Don't all apply to carnivores)
9 species are critically endangered
Red Wolf Iberian Lynx Mediterranean monk seal Hawaiian monk seal European mink Pygmy racoon Darwins fox Island fox Malabar civet
Threats to carnivores
Human-wildlife conflict Competition from other guild members Legal/illegal hunting Habitat loss Protection for livestock
Define Guild
Other species that exist in a similar niche e.g. lions, cheetahs, leopards and AWD. As the habitats are squeezed these species come into contact with each other more and more
Potential conservation strategies
Protection of habitat, people and disease
Education
Reintroduction, supplementary feeding and predator removal
Black-footed ferret case study
Recently extinct in the wild, some difficulties in reintroduction
Using 7 founders reintroduced them back bred over 4800 juveniles and released 228 in one location
Numbers started off slow and suddenly reemerged when conditions are right
Threats to BFF
Lack of prey - Prarie dogs, nocturnal and seen as pests, also hibernate for the winter
need to ensure they’re not exposed to the same conditions that made them go extinct
No effect from behavioural and physiological effects of captive breeding
Have a slow life history, low fecundity, high longevity and high age of reproduction
How to preserve genetic diversity
Can use assisted reproductive technology - ensures all individuals reproduce and ensures heterozygosity
Can freeze sperm and use the sperm of captive populations
AWD Case study
have packs of approx 28 individuals and a huge range
Dominant breeding pair, natural prey is antelope
Preferred habitat is woodland, tend to avoid long grass due to lions and hyenas
Previously persecuted by game park rangers, seen as excessively violent as they disembowel their kill
Threats to AWD
Less than 8000 individuals left, due to HD
Road traffic, persecution, snaring, competition with other LAC, diseases
Solutions for AWD
Need to protect species and public, and their interests
can protect habitat and educate locals
vaccinate where possible, can vaccinate domestic dogs to limit the spread
Got protected status
use virtual fences, using carnivore urine, auditory devices and flags etc (can get acclimatised to these)
BioBoundary Project
Keeps AWD within protected areas, use scent markings made of urine and gland secretions
Collected from a known origin,
the scent for keeping out yet to be identified
Cheetah conservation
Listed as vulnerable but rapidly decreasing, only 15000 left
Bottom of the guild, also conflict with farmers
i-cows painted eyes onto the arse of cows to scare away lions
