Page 22 -

NATURE

THE STATE

OF OUR

WILDLIFE

By James Clarke, Pictures
by Mary Broadley

The most ignominious
fate to befall a wild animal
species is surely to be
categorised as being
‘extinct in the wilds’ –
locked down for ever –
like the American bison
now living in fenced-o
domesticity, and China's
Pére David's deer surviving
only in zoos.

Lion – now listed as 'vulnerable'

adly, the ‘wilds’ itself, in many parts of the being destroyed. This was rst made clear a EX: extinct
world, is under great pressure, mainly few years ago in a 700-page report, the Red EW: extinct in the wild
Sbecause of the plague. I don’t mean by Data Book of the Mammals of South Africa: A CR: critically endangered
the COVID-19 virus – I mean the mindless Conservation Assessment, compiled by the EN: endangered
human population explosion. Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). The project VU: vulnerable
was funded by Vodacom and contributed to NT: near threatened
The downfall of South Africa’s rarest animal, by scores of scientists. LC: least concern
the riverine rabbit - unique to the southwest DD: data de cient.
Karoo – was, for example, due to habitat The good news is that a great deal of the
destruction. The crash in recent times of picture that emerged was reassuring. Of our 295 mammal species, half (147 of
South Africa’s roan and sable antelope Nevertheless, the report identi ed some them) are currently in the 'LC' category –
populations was due to human activity serious challenges. It was published a few which is not too shabby considering how
resulting in lowering the water table and years after South Africa vowed at the 2002 much of South Africa has been ploughed
draining the seep lines along which these World Summit to join other species-rich and paved, and sterilised by mining activity.
antelope prefer to feed. countries in maintaining biodiversity and Only 10 of the 295 species are considered
putting a stop to the losses. ‘critically endangered’ – one degree above
Of South Africa’s almost 300 di erent kinds ‘extinct in the wild’. 18 are ‘endangered’; 29
of mammals, the future of one third is Yolan Friedmann, head of the Johannesburg- are ‘vulnerable’; 38 are ‘near threatened’; and
uncertain, mostly because of their habitat based Endangered Wildlife Trust, who edited 53 species lack su cient data for a threat
the report, pointed out that 12 countries assessment to be made.
possessed among them two thirds of the
world’s living species - South Africa was one
of the 12. Our almost 300 di erent kinds
of land and sea mammals range from the
world’s tiniest, the ‘least dwarf shrew’ whose
metabolism is such it can starve to death in
hours, and the world’s largest living creature,
the blue whale.

To measure the chances of a species surviving
into next century, conservation scientists
worldwide have placed mammals into eight
categories:

Black rhino – back from the White rhino: success story - so far…
brink, at least in South Africa

20 • Issue 3 2020 • BLUE VALLEY NEWS