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1.
Wolves. Endangered?
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If
you lead a horse to water, will it know how to drink?
You can't generally take a captive-bred animal to the wilderness and tell it to get lost. Here are some ways that biologists teach wild animals to be wild. There's much more here. Cranes
California
condor The bird went extinct in the wild in 1987, largely due to habitat loss and poisoning from lead shot in the carrion it eats. Lead shot was banned from waterfowl ammo in 1991 (although not from ammo used for deer hunting). To face other problems, the birds got some remedial education:
Wolf
The
wisdom of reintroductions Since each reintroduction
takes so much work, the technique will never become a universal tool for
reviving damaged ecosystems. Instead, ecologists say, preserving and restoring
habitat is more appropriate for broad-scale preservation of species. Peter Bryant, a
biology professor at University of California, Irvine, said habitat restoration
is an elementary step in sustaining endangered plants and animals. "Most
endangered species are in trouble because their habitat has been fragmented,
destroyed or degraded, so the first requirement is to get some patches
back in decent shape."
The Nature Conservancy
is a major advocate of habitat preservation. "My personal view, and that
of the Nature Conservancy, is that in situ conservation is what we should
be striving for," says Bruce Stein, a scientist who worked at the Conservancy
and now works for Association
for Biodiversity Information. "Ex situ has a role, but it can lead
people to become complacent. ... The goal of any ex situ conservation
program has to be getting a population re-established in the wild."
Similarly, professor
of conservation biology Donald Waller, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
says he's a "bit more cynical" about reintroduction programs. He suggests
that there's little biological justification for spending so much money
to save lovable, showy critters like wolves while shortchanging the promiscuous
Stephens'
kangaroo rat or Florida's four-petal
pawpaw.
Not
so easy Often, the argument
over preserving individuals or ecosystems is moot. If a species is extinct
in the wild, there's little choice but to work
with what's left in captivity. Finally, restored habitats may attract
species thought to be locally extinct, turning ecological restoration
into a method for reintroducing species.
Animals aren't
the only organisms that need help. What about plants?
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