Lemurs Are At Risk Of Exctintion In Madagascar

The destruction of the traditions in Madagascar has led to an increase in hunting of lemurs - animals listed in the Red Book. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), all 21 species of primates that live mainly in forested areas of the island, are threatened with extinction.

According to a survey conducted by researchers among the inhabitants of 1.2 thousand households east of Madagascar, it was found that indigenous Malagasies (Malagasy) is virtually gone. Meanwhile, traditionally the locals were the protectors of the lemurs, honoring them as grandparents.

However, the processes of globalisation associated with the arrival of foreign workers in gold mines, led to the violation of cultural taboos, reports RIA. For immigrants the local taboos are nothing but lemurs - only animals that can be used as food.

The problem of extinction of lemurs activists began to talk a few years ago, but now the situation has become critical. Scientists are reminded that hunting in these primates leads to rapid destruction of their as lemurs reach sexual maturity only at nine years and produce offsprings only once at 2-3 years.

Now their population is rapidly decreasing, and if we do not take any action - for example, does not prohibit the hunting of lemurs in law, these animals in the forests of Madagascar will simply disappear.

Congo Hippos Face Extinction

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) is rapidly shrinking the population of hippos. Long-term armed conflicts have caused irreparable harm to the wildlife of this country. According to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund, WWF), the hunting of hippos doing almost everything here, without limitation, soldiers and rebels and poachers. The carcass of the herbivore and can be purchased today for just $ 50, and his teeth are the subject of illegal trade and are valued on a par with ivory. To reduce the population affected by the fact that on the shores of Lake Edward, which is located inside the reserve, had settled thousands of fishermen. The lake is very attractive for Congolese: it is teeming with fish owing to hippos, saturating the water with nutrients.

Aerial view of the Virunga National Park has shown that once the world's largest population of these animals is on the verge of extinction. Virunga park covers an area of ​​about 790 000 hectares and is characterized by an exceptional variety of habitats - from the swamps and steppes to the plains to the savannas and valleys of lava on the slopes of volcanoes. In the tropical forests of the park inhabited by mountain gorillas and Siberian birds come here to winter. In a special study, organized by WWF, the European Union and the Congolese conservation institute, found that in the park there are only 887 hippos, despite the fact that two years ago, there were 1309 individuals. And in 1974, in the rivers in the reserve 29 000 hippos lived.

These animals have long been included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, but not cut it does not help. Poachers do not stop even the risk of never returning from the hunt - a wounded hippo becomes very aggressive, attacking his pursuers, and can easily bite a person in half.

Reserves and National Parks - Virunga, Upemba, Garamba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga North, South Salonga and others - account for nearly 15% of the Congo. The humid climate of the country's lush jungles to keep alive - the latest in the world of vast tropical forests, inhabited by a variety of wildlife. Only in the Congo, for example, are found okapi - a small forest animals of the family of giraffes, which became a national symbol of the country. In savannas south of the country inhabited by lions, leopards and antelope. Destruction of hippos cause irreparable damage to the local ecological balance of nature.