Using the Endangered Long-Tailed Macaque Monkey For Medical Science

September 26th, 2011
In Kuala Lumpur, the endangered species known as the long-tailed macaque is facing extinction because of illegal trade and loss of habitat. It’s the same old story of man not thinking ahead for one or another reason.
Without skipping a beat, the trade has even doubled after it was put on the endangered species list.  The attraction of being able to buy an animal on the endangered species list is too tempting to resist. People with money think of the monkey as a trophy or means of boasting. They don’t realize it’s an evil trade to kill an animal just to show it off as a trophy.

Just look at the figures: In 1999 to 2003, there was an estimated 120,000 of these monkeys that were traded in Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, and Vietnam. In 2004 up to 2008, this figure shot up to 260,000 sold in the black market. It is big business.

The monkey is used primarily as a trophy, and then some less perfect samples are sold to laboratories for medical testing. The assurance that animals are no longer being brutally used to test drugs is not true. It is still a practice rampant especially in South East Asia. Other countries have also bought this primate for animal testing. In 2009 alone, almost 2,300 of these monkeys were shipped to Great Britain. The United States is also listed as having imported these animals although for what reason, it remains unclear.

It’s not just the fact that they will be the test subjects but also the fact that when they are shipped out, they are treated not as living things but as objects. Their cages are tiny and cramped, and they are not fed properly.

This type of exploitation can be stopped many times along the way from poacher to buyer but it does not happen. How is it possible that more than 2,000 were illegally sent to the UK without any disapproval from authorities? How could they have passed scrutiny?

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What Constitutes an Endangered Animal

June 1st, 2011

Our beautiful earth is blessed with rich varieties of flora and fauna. Nature preserves all these herbs and animal family. They all live in hand to hand. They are all part of the food chain. It is the law of nature that preserves the existence of all plants and animals in the earth. Violation of these laws can create problems in their existence. Do you know what is an endangered animal or plant? These are things that are on the verge of extinct. They will disappear from the earth surface in the near future. What is an endangered animal? Simple meaning of the phrase endangered is that a few numbers of that species are present on earth today.

Large numbers of species have disappeared from the earth’s surface due to human activities. Some of the existing species are on the verge of extinction. Polar bears and bow-head whales found in Alaska are no more in this earth. Likewise, brown bears that are seen in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska in large numbers have shirked to countable value.

Human activities play a major role in the extinction of animal and plant variety. Human wandering in search of rich natural resources and place for dwelling destroys the habitat of animals. Deforestation and cutting down of trees destroys habitat of birds. This cause decreases the number of certain species of animals. This can cause imbalance in the food chain. This in turn affects other animals which feed on them. Thereby, they face the pace of extinction. It is a chain process. This can cause extinction of many species. While looking on to the basics, we can see that the reason lies behind us. Controlling human activities is the only way to save nature and animals.

In saving endangered species, humans have to create parks and sanctuaries for keeping endangered species. This will help to prevent the extinction of species. Moreover, government should declare animals as endangered and should create law for protecting them. By all these means, we can save the extinction of several animals and plants.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.

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Painted Batagur

June 1st, 2011

The endangered reptiles are in grave danger of becoming extinct. One these endangered reptiles is known as the Painted Batagur. They are found in Asia, more specifically, Sumatra Island, Malaysian Peninsula, and the Kalimantan Island. The Painted Batagur is the largest fresh water turtle with a shell that looks like it has been painted on. It really is a beautiful reptile.

They live mainly in rivers and can sometimes be caught near an ocean where salt water meets with fresh water. They like to lay their eggs in beaches and eat mostly plants,  leaves, and sometimes other animals.

There are 3 main reasons why the Painted Batagur is an endangered reptile. One, they are food or pets for the locals. Two, they cannot survive in a world that is fast becoming polluted. Three, their habitat is being threatened by infrastructure and development.

Even with the restriction on the sale of the Painted Batagur, there are still rampant violations being committed on a regular basis. If left unabated, this species will become extinct before 2012. Plus, even if the sale of these animals are controlled, it still does not solve the problem of water pollution. The rivers and fresh bodies of water have to be kept clean. This means no washing of clothes, throwing of trash and human wastes.

As pets, they can also be treated without the respect they deserve. Many locals like to have the Painted Batagur, especially the males because they change appearances when it is season for mating. The head turns white and a red spot will appear on top of its head. After mating season, it reverts back, and sometimes they are left to fend for themselves. As a result,  they die in captivity. Efforts are being made to breed them in captivity, not as pets but for release into safe water zones as soon as they mature.

Endangered reptiles like the Painted Batagur appears to be in a losing battle with humans. In many cases, the locals do not see the bigger picture. For them, what matters is that they get what they want. It is a delicacy to eat the meat of the Painted Batagur. Education is badly needed to show the locals how they can preserve their environment and help these and other animals from becoming extinct.

The international community should also share their expertise in breeding animals in captivity. They should also show the local governments how and when to release these animals so they can freely populate the islands again.

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