In a painfully typical example, several U.S. scientists and ornithologists spent eight years trying in vain to repopulate Maine with the Puffin, which had been wiped out by hunters in that state 80 years earlier. Importing 100 puffin chicks a year from Canada, the experts hoped that the birds would once again thrive in their ancestral habitat in New England. However, it was discovered that the adult birds were simply flying away after becoming strong enough. The few birds that did stay did not mate. The social structure of the Puffin had been disrupted and consequentially normal social interaction was impaired for a time.
Manipulation of nature by man has a long, sometimes brutal, history. From the earliest domesticated animals to the gleaming laboratories and research centers of today, mankind has focused its energy on improving the quality of life. The new technologies are aimed at placing under man's control the ability to create, improve, heal, and even destroy whole species.
As scientists investigate the mysteries of the environment, they have come to realize that man still has much to learn from and about nature. For example, American and French scientists are interested in a pig native to Mainland China that bears an average litter of 16 to 17 piglets. No one knows if this condition will become important in the future.
Taking lessons from certain natural states and then applying them to humans can also have beneficial effects. In one case, the South American giant armadillo is the only known animal besides man that can suffer from leprosy. Scientists studying in armadillo have come up with new theories concerning the disease in humans and possible ways to treat it.
In light of all the benefits that people derive from animals, it is a wonder that we don't treat them better. According to wildlife experts, 40 percent of all vertebrates are on or close to the endangered species list. If invertebrates are included, it is estimated that by the end of the century 500,000 to one million wild creatures will have become extinct.
Statistics on the rapid destruction of Earth are increasingly making headlines. People and governments are slowly beginning to realize that the environment should be considered in all aspects of development, before it's too late. On Taiwan, the concerns have led to the Wildlife Protection Act which has already been formulated and is now in the Legislative Yuan.
The current campaign to save endangered species now rests in the hands of scientists and new techniques designed to artificially increase animal populations. Species that are restricted to a unique climate, area, or other limited environments are the first priority. Some animal populations are so small that the slightest disruption in their environment could lead to extinction in a very short period of time.
The first step in maintaining and eventually increasing the populations of endangered species is to protect their natural environment. The example of maine's Puffin chicks demonstrates well the difficulties involved in trying to reintroduce species into a new habitat. "The ideal solution is for man not to interfere in the natural life process of these animals," said Lin Yao-sung, professor at Taiwan University's Department of Zoology.
Dr. Hsieh Hsiao-teng, an expert on Taiwan's Mikado pheasant has always had reservations about the efficacy of artificial insemination and raising wild animals under carefully controlled conditions and then releasing them into the wild. "Artificial insemination carries with it the possibilities of altered genetic information, with serious questions about the survival ability of later generations," he said. The natural instincts of animals can be adversely affected through artificial insemination, he went on. If these animals mate with wild ones, then the possibility that the altered genes will eventually be passed on to the whole population is increased dramatically. The consequences could be catastrophic.
Dr. Chris Servheen, grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator at U.S. University of Montana, indicates that if the habitat is not protected, then artificial propagation will prove futile after the animal is set free. Protecting marshes, grasslands, woodlands, and mountain areas from man's destructive influence is the best way to preserve the precious animals.
Animals which would face imminent extinction if nothing were done need to rely on man's intervention to maintain and rebuild lost populations. That intervention might take the form of relocation to more fertile feeding grounds.
However, regardless of the methods used by scientists to prevent the extinction of animals, the ultimate goal is always to return them back to nature, where they will be able to continue their intended role in the ecological system.
Raising young animals until they are strong enough to return to nature is a last resort because of the difficulties involved. In California recently, researchers succeeded in hatching a young vulture. To ensure that it can survive in the wild, the young vulture has never been in contact with humans. It is fed by a mechanical vulture so that it will not develop any abnormal affection for humans, which would be death sentence in the wild.
Animals produced from artificial mating or insemination may look like the real McCoy, but the genes may represent future problems. A successful birth is only the first step, seeing whether the newborn can survive in its natural habitat is the real test of success.
The basic problem is that man knows too little about the mechanisms and complexities involved in the miracle of nature. Tiny man-made adjustments in nature can and have had uncontrollable consequences. These animals should be released in stages of controlled environments so that scientists can observe their behavior and make sure that they will indeed survive and function as others in its species. The observations will also give clues to whether the subject itself presents risks to other wild animals. This process could last over several successive generations and perhaps forever.
Destruction is easy and fast. Rebuilding is difficult and slow. Some people think that all endangered species should be "mass produced" in artificial insemination factories or that science can cure all of man's and animals' ills. But if we go about returning nature to its original state in the same reckless manner that we destroyed it, the consequences could be even more catastrophic. We owe it to our own survival to take some time and learn from nature for once.
[Picture Caption]
Colorful butterflies have been captured in great quantity for uses as specimens--an example of mankind's indiscriminate exploitation of precious animal resources.
Improved breeds of livestock have long been developed to benefit the needs of mankind.
Preserving the diversity of wild animal species not only offers mankind benefits; it also makes our environment more joyous and colorful.
The Construction and Planning Administration, which manages the R.O.C.'s national parks, engages in the artificial propagation of mikado pheasants. Shown here is a newly hatched chick.
Wild sika deer no longer exist on Taiwan, making artificial propagation even more difficult. (photo courtesy of Wang Ying)
Although some success has been achieved on Taiwan in reviving endangered species through artificial propagation, much work remains to be done. (photo by Su Yen)
It may be the most commonly seen animal on Chinese farms, but the water buffalo is still a creature that experts hope to preserve.
Surveying the habits of animals in the wild is the first step in artificial propagation. Here a team from the zoology department of National Taiwan University studies Taipei tree frogs on Yangming Mt.
If we could be a bit kinder, what need would there be to build a wall between animals and us?
Improved breeds of livestock have long been developed to benefit the needs of mankind.
Preserving the diversity of wild animal species not only offers mankind benefits; it also makes our environment more joyous and colorful.
The Construction and Planning Administration, which manages the R.O.C.'s national parks, engages in the artificial propagation of mikado pheasants. Shown here is a newly hatched chick.
Wild sika deer no longer exist on Taiwan, making artificial propagation even more difficult. （photo courtesy of Wang Ying）
Although some success has been achieved on Taiwan in reviving endangered species through artificial propagation, much work remains to be done. （photo by Su Yen）
It may be the most commonly seen animal on Chinese farms, but the water buffalo is still a creature that experts hope to preserve.
Surveying the habits of animals in the wild is the first step in artificial propagation. Here a team from the zoology department of National Taiwan University studies Taipei tree frogs on Yangming Mt.
If we could be a bit kinder, what need would there be to build a wall between animals and us?
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